The Thorntons: The Future & what could have been
by Devoted hallmark fan
Summary: My story picks up from after the wedding in season five and goes into what an alternate life. Elizabeth Thatcher the School teacher of Hope Valley had just gotten married to Jack Thornton the towns Constable and Mountie. They celebrated their special day with their friends and the rest of the town. They are now known as Jack and Elizabeth Thornton. This will be about their life.
1. Chapter 1 The Honeymoon

**CHAPTER 1: The Honeymoon**

A few days ago Elizabeth's now Husband Jack Thornton had just found out he was assigned a new order to go out of town to a Mountie training facility to train new recruits for two months. As soon as he heard he rushed home to tell his now wife, his darling Elizabeth about it. Elizabeth was a little surprised as Jack had told her he was home for good when he had gotten back from the Northern Territories. Jacks new assignment meant that they had to change their honeymoon plans so Elizabeth said to Jack:

"I will go with you on the trip to the training facility. It may not be the fun trip we had planned, but at least we will get to have a honeymoon"

Jack then replied, "Are you sure you can take that much time away from your teaching job here at home in Hope Valley" , he asked

"Sure I can", she said. "I will just get Florence Blakely to cover for me", she replied.

That afternoon Elizabeth went in search of Florence to ask her to do her the favor of taking over teaching the Children of Hope Valley while she is out of town. Once she found Florence, Elizabeth asked;

"Florence would you be willing to take over my class for me for about a week or two while I go with Jack to see him on his new assignment, as it will also be a honeymoon substitute for us"

Florence then replied, "of course I will, you just enjoy your trip", she said

Florence agreed to do it and Elizabeth was thankful that she was willing to do so. When Elizabeth got home to her row house she now shares with her beloved Jack, they both started to pack a suitcase for the trip they were going to go on the next day.

The next morning, while Jack went to Yost's Mercantile to buy some supplies for their trip, Elizabeth was on the stagecoach platform saying bye to her friends Abigail Stanton the Mayor of Hope Valley, Rosemary and Lee Coulter, and the other women of Hope Valley Elizabeth had quickly became friends with since moving to Hope Valley five years ago. Once, Jack came out of the Mercantile, Elizabeth and Jack Thornton got into a rented Buggy and off they went on their way to the mountie training facility and on their own adventurous honeymoon as well.

Over the next week Jack and Elizabeth Thornton camped out under the bright beautiful stars, went fishing, had romantic dinners in small towns they passed through as they journeyed on their way to Jacks temporary two month assignment at the mountie training facility. With each day as they got closer to their destination Elizabeth did not want their short time they had spent as a newly married couple on their honeymoon to end, but she knew she had to get back to Hope Valley, her teaching job as soon as possible, and wait for her beloved husbands return when he was finished with his assignment for good this time, so they could plan their future together forever. Pretty soon the Thornton's had arrived at the Mountie Training facility where Elizabeth stayed with Jack for a day or two which was when the stagecoach was next scheduled to arrive in town, so that she could catch it to get home to Hope Valley, their friends, and her students.


	2. Chapter 2 Elizabeths Return Home to Hope

**Chapter 2: Elizabeth Return Home to Hope Valley and Teaching**

The day of Elizabeth's return trip home from the mountie training facility where she had just arrived with her beloved Jack had come all too soon. As she waited for the stagecoach in town she thought of jack and their future together once he returned home for good in two months' time. Pretty soon, the stage coach arrived and Elizabeth was on her way home. On the journey home she wrote I her journal she always carried with her everything she and Jack had done on the way to the mountie training facility as their honeymoon. In her journal entry she wrote:

 _Sep 5, 1915_

 _-Jack and I had the most wonderful honeymoon imaginable; we took walks under the stars, camped out by the most beautiful lakes, and had romantic dinners in nearby towns we passed through. I look forward to when we can be together again and start our new life together as husband and wife.-_

Meanwhile, in Hope Valley the Thornton's closest friends Abigail, Lee and Rosemary Coulter, and a few others were waiting on the stagecoach platform for the stagecoach and Elizabeth's arrival home from her honeymoon with Jack. As the stagecoach rounded the corner Elizabeth automatically saw her friends in the distance waiting and gave a wave from the window of the stage. As soon as the stage stopped, Elizabeth got out and everyone gave her a welcome back hug, the longest and most sigh of relief one coming from Florence Blakely who had been teaching the children while Elizabeth was on her honeymoon as was glad Elizabeth was back. At once everyone bombarded her with questions about the honeymoon, some of which she answered with a happy smile on her face.

The next day Elizabeth went back to work teaching the children and all of them were very happy to her back. It did not take the children very long to get used to referring to Elizabeth as Mrs. Thornton. Opal took a little longer than the others and slipped only once with saying the wrong name. Instead of saying Mrs. Thornton, she said Ms. Thatcher and Elizabeth just laughed a little because she knew it was a big change for the children after five years of them calling her Ms. Thatcher. Even the children, found opals slip funny even opal herself, but Elizabeth said she knew it would take them some time to get used to it. Along with enjoying teaching her students Elizabeth wrote letters to Jack almost every day and wrote her thoughts for their future in her journal as well as enjoying time with Abigail at the café. As the days passed Elizabeth had no trouble getting back into her daily and weekly routine of teaching her students and her day to day activities as she waits for her beloved Jack to return home to her just like he promised he always did each time he went off to do his duty, but this time he said it would be for good, so Elizabeth patiently awaits his return with each passing week and day one at a time.


	3. Chapter 3 Halloween Fun in Hope Valley

**Chapter 3: Halloween Fun in Hope Valley**

 **One Month Later**

A few weeks after coming back from her honeymoon, Elizabeth found herself getting more tired easily after a long day of teaching, but she made it. One day she announced to her class that she wanted to do something fun for the upcoming holiday of Halloween as a class and that the whole town could participate in. She told all her students to come to school with any ideas they might have they next day as to what they should do to celebrate Halloween as a town, while at the same time having fun.

The next day at school the children of Hope Valley were patiently waiting to share the ideas they had come up with for the Halloween event that their teacher Mrs. Thornton had announced the day before. As soon as everyone had settled down, Mrs. Thornton addressed her class and asked who had any ideas for the Halloween event.

"I have an idea," Opal sweetly said, "we can have a carnival with games and come dressed up in Halloween costumes Mrs. Thornton."

"What a great idea Opal" Elizabeth replied

"We can have all kinds of fun snacks and a photo booth as well", said Cody.

Everyone else agreed with Opal and Cody ideas so Elizabeth responded with a laugh;

"Well it looks like we will be doing a Halloween Carnival for the whole town to enjoy" Elizabeth told her class.

For the next week Elizabeth and her students were busy with planning and setting up the Halloween Carnival that would happen the next afternoon. The day of the carnival finally arrived. Elizabeth and her class had set up all kinds of games like a baseball toss, three legged races, had a photo booth where Mr. Yost the owner of the mercantile was the photographer, and much more. The town's people came dressed in all kinds of costumes from a scarecrow to a farmer to a baseball player and much more. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, even Elizabeth who was ready to go home and rest, as she was tired and more runned down than usual for some reason, and not feeling well so she went straight to bed when she got home. The next morning she was feeling better, but she was glad it was the weekend so she decided to write a letter to Jack and go visit with Abigail for some friend time and tea since she seemed to have run out.

After writing her letter to Jack, Elizabeth gathered up her basket and her coat along with the letter and set off to town and to visit Abigail before doing some shopping at the mercantile. When she got home she had some more tea, before spending some time with preparing lessons for the next week for her students.

After finishing up her lessons for the next week, Elizabeth went to bed and had the most marvelous dream about her beloved Jack and their life together they were going to have as soon as he got home for good in a couple of weeks.


	4. Chapter 4 Elizabeths Dream

**Chapter 4: Elizabeth's Dream**

The next morning Elizabeth woke up and decided to write in her journal about a dream she just had about her beloved Jack.

 _Oct 27, 1915_

 _-Jack I dreamed I was in town and you had come riding in early to surprise me with your return home so could finally start our life together, build a new house on our land, and start a family of our own_ -

After Elizabeth had spent some time with her thoughts about Jack, she decided to pay a visit to Abigail Stanton the town Mayor and her best friend. The first thing Abigail asked Elizabeth was;

"have you gotten a letter from jack recently" Abigail said

"yes and he is doing good. I can't wait for him to come home" Elizabeth replied.

"I know you are, just think in a few weeks he will be home for good and I know you want him home so badly because of him being gone for a long time in such a short period of time. " Abigail said.

"I know it is so exciting" said Elizabeth with a huge smile on her face.

After her conversations with Abigail Elizabeth went home to take a nap as she started to feel sick again as soon as she got closer to her row house on her walk home before grading some of her student's papers before calling it a day and turning in.

For the next few days things around town were pretty normal Faith was planning a party for Dr. Carson the town doctor to celebrate being their doctor for the past year with the help of Abigail and a few of the other town residents as a surprise. Pretty soon the day of the party arrived. All of a sudden Elizabeth remembered that she had left her gift for Dr. Carson at the school house in her desk so she decided to go and get it and Abigail decided to go with her.

 _The Dream_

[As soon as they stepped outside a weird dreamlike fog came rolling into the town center. As the fog came closer Elizabeth turned around a saw a rider on a horse riding in and thought it was Jack, but it was someone else. As the new arrival got off his horse and told Elizabeth some news she did and would not believe then broke down and fainted.]

After the party was over Elizabeth went home and to bed. The next morning Elizabeth woke up and realized she was dreaming and that he beloved Jack was safe and would be home soon and that the event that had happened in town was not real, but would be her worst nightmare if anything were to ever happen to jack. Elizabeth was strong and her patience for Jacks return home and her love for him was what kept her strong as she waited for his return to her for good in just a few weeks.


	5. Chapter5 Elizabeths New and Jacks Return

**Chapter 5: Elizabeth's Special news and Jacks Surprise Return**

 **Two Weeks Later**

A few days before Jack was due to return home Elizabeth was hanging out with her best friend Abigail Stanton who ran the towns' café. As they were catching up on what had been going on with each other and in their life, Elizabeth had mentioned she had just gotten a letter from Jack and that he would be home soon. Abigail was happy for Elizabeth because she knew how much she was missing her beloved husband while he was away. Pretty soon Elizabeth was getting tired so she went home to rest. That night she was not feeling so hungry so she just had a small snack and some tea to help calm her upset stomach and the feeling she was experiencing, but did not know what it was.

Meanwhile at the Mountie training facility Jack was finishing up his assignment and was packing up his things to get ready to leave to return home to Hope Valley and his darling Elizabeth for good and to settle down and start a life with her. The day before he was scheduled to leave, Jack decided to go to town to send a telegram to Elizabeth in Hope Valley with the news of him coming home to her and their friends. As soon as he got to the town general store he told the clerk;

"I would like to send a telegram to Hope Valley please, it is of upmost time sensitive", Jack said.

"Of course, sir, here you go", replied the general store clerk

As soon as the clerk handed jack the paper and pen to write the telegram. Jack began to write what he wanted his darling Elizabeth to know and when to expect him back in Hope Valley and off the clerk went to send it.

Back in Hope Valley the next morning as soon as Elizabeth woke up, again she did not feel like eating anything so she just had some tea and toast for breakfast. As soon as her stomach had settled down, Elizabeth went to the general store to buy some things she needed for school the next day. When she got to the counter to pay for her supplies Mr. Yost handed her a telegram from Jack after she had paid for her purchases. As soon as she was outside she opened the telegram and read what jack had to say;

~My darling Elizabeth,

I have some great news, I just had to tell you. My two month assignment is over for good and I leave the Mountie training facility to come home to Hope Valley tomorrow and should be entering town by late Wednesday afternoon, I can't wait to be in your loving arms again and start building our future together and starting a family.

Your beloved Husband Jack ~

As soon as Elizabeth finished reading the telegram she ran to Abigail's café to tell her best friend Abigail Stanton and mayor of Hope Valley the good news.

"'Abigail, Abigail' Elizabeth breathlessly says, 'guess what, Jack is coming home, he gets here Wednesday afternoon, I just got a telegram from him'" Elizabeth said extremely excited and beyond happy.

"oh, my that is very good new Elizabeth, you sure do seem excited" Abigail replied.

" I am, I can't wait and now we can finally start our life together and Jack can finally start to build our house now that he will be back for good", Elizabeth responded

For the rest of the afternoon Elizabeth helped out Abigail in the Kitchen of the café since it seemed to be busy and she needed the help. After they had finished for the day they sat down and had some coffee, but the moment the strong smell of coffee got to Elizabeth she started to feel sick so she ran out of the kitchen door to get away from the smell. As soon as Abigail processed what was going on she then ran outside to her friend and added up all the pieces of the puzzle for her. Abigail had noticed something was off with Elizabeth for awhile since she got back from the honeymoon, but did not know exactly what until now.

"Elizabeth, are you feeling okay, you seemed to start to feel sick" Abigail asked

"I am feeling better now thanks" Elizabeth said

"was the smell of coffee making you feel nauseous" Abigail asked

"yeah, that has never happened before, but I feel okay now, I am over it" Elizabeth replied

" I know why you are feeling this way, it has happened to me before, and with it I noticed you have been tired and worn out lately, and you mentioned not having an appetite and it is all because you are pregnant, Elizabeth and will be having a baby" Abigail excitedly responded

As soon as Abigail said she was going to have a baby Elizabeth was speechless for about five minutes before saying;

"I am, are you sure Abigail" Elizabeth asked

"I am positive and with the signs you have been mentioning, there is no other explanation, but if I were you I would check with Dr. Carson first, just to make sure and to confirm" Abigail replied

Later that day after getting over the initial shock of what her friend Abigail had said, Elizabeth went to the infirmary to confirm with Dr. Carson if she was indeed pregnant. As soon as she got there she said to him;

"Dr. Carson, Abigail told me a little early today that I might be pregnant, but I want to confirm it with you just to make sure she was right" Elizabeth said.

"okay, what signs have you been experiencing Elizabeth that made Abigail come to this conclusion" Dr. Carson asked as he examined Elizabeth's abdominal area

" well, I have been tired a lot, a tad runned down ever since I got back from my honeymoon, loss of my appetite and feeling sick in my stomach for the past few days, and just today the smell of coffee made me feel nauseous" Elizabeth responded

" well those are the most classical signs, and from what I can tell after examining you I am feeling something, so Abigail was right, you are indeed going to be having a baby. Congrats Elizabeth" Dr. Carson replied

"Thank you so much Dr. Carson, have a good day" Elizabeth replied

After Elizabeth left the infirmary she could barely contain her excitement so she went to the mercantile to purchase some yellow yarn and some knitting needles so that she could make a baby blanket to give to Jack as a surprise later on and have him guess why she did this. As soon as she finished she went back to Abigail's café and told her what Dr. Carson had said and her friend was excited for her. Elizabeth then told Abigail she would be surprising jack with the news when he got home by giving him a special gift she was going to make before he got home. As soon as she arrived home to the row house Elizabeth set to work in knitting the yellow baby blanket.

Meanwhile at the mounte training facility jack was about to set off for home and Hope Valley as his two month assignment was up and his duty with being a Mountie was over as he decided to stop being one as he wanted to spend his life with his dearest Elizabeth and start their life together once he got home in a few days. What he did not know was that he was in for a surprise himself once he got home.

Back in Hope Valley over the next few days Elizabeth continued to knit the yellow blanket she would give to Jack when she surprised him with the news that he was going to be a daddy soon. Elizabeth was so happy that Jack was coming home for good and to stay.

Finally the day of Jacks return home came. He was just about an hour or two ride away outside of town and Elizabeth was at home patiently waiting for him, the blanket in a box on the kitchen table. Soon she got tired so Elizabeth went for a walk into town. As soon as she got to town, right at that moment just as Elizabeth was about to go see Abigail just to chat, her beloved Jack comes galloping into town and as soon as Elizabeth sees Sargent Jacks horse; who was sent to the mountie training facility two months earlier for Jack; she runs as quickly as she can but carefully since she is now pregnant, to her husband and they start to madly kiss each other and Jack says to Elizabeth;

"I am home and here to stay. I am not going anywhere ever again", Jack says

Elizabeth then replies, " so glad you are home, I have missed you so much lets go home, I have a surprise I want to give you and tell you" Elizabeth said

So off they went to their row house where Elizabeth has a surprise planned for Jack now that he is finally home for good.


	6. Chapter6 Elizaebethtellsjackhegetstowork

**Chapter 6: Elizabeth Tells Jack her News and Jack gets to work**

Elizabeth's beloved Jack had just gotten home from his two month assignment training new mounties and Elizabeth was overjoyed to have him home safe and sound. She could hardly wait to surprise him with her special news. She had everything planned out perfectly. As soon as they got home to their row house, Elizabeth tells Jack to close his eyes and she guides him to the table where the knitted yellow blanket she made is sitting in the box waiting to be opened by him. As soon as they get to the table Elizabeth says to her husband;

"okay, jack you can sit down and open your eyes now" Elizabeth said

As soon as Jack opens his eyes he notices the box sitting on the table and asks Elizabeth what it is and she replies;

"go ahead, open it and see" Elizabeth responded

So jack opens the box and unfolds the knitted yellow blanket. Jack tells her it is beautiful and says;

"Elizabeth, is this what I think it is" he asked

She responds, "what do you think it is" she asked

Jack says, "I think it is a baby blanket, but why are you giving it to me" he asked

"It is a baby blanket and I gave it to you because my beloved Jack I am pregnant, we are going to have a baby. Our Thornton clan is starting to grow now and I knitted the blanket myself so our child will know how much we will love them, when wrapped in this blanket" Elizabeth replied

For a split second Jack is speechless but then says;

"well I guess I will have to start building our house sooner than expected, good thing I had already brought the lumber from Lee before we got married" Jack responded

Jack and Elizabeth spend the rest of the evening together and plan the next several months so everything will be ready for when their baby arrives which is everything from what they need to buy for the baby and more.

The next morning after Elizabeth cooks breakfast for her beloved Jack, she gets ready to go to school and teach for the day. She plans on teaching for as long as possible until she will have to find a substitute for a period of time once the baby is closer to being born, but she will go back eventually once the baby is born and a couple months old. Elizabeth loves teaching too much to give it up.

After Jack, had his breakfast that his dearest wife Elizabeth had made for him he decided to go and talk to his friend Lee Coulter about several things. Jack decided to try Lee's office in town first to see if he could find him there and he was. Lee was surprised to see Jack, but also happy to see that he was home safe and sound. Jack said to Lee;

" I have come to you for several reasons: First, I will need your help and some other men as well to help me build mine and Elizabeth's house and it needs to be done as quick as possible because last night I just found out Elizabeth is pregnant and I would like to have our house built before the baby gets here. Finally, I have decided to leave the mounties so I can stay here in Hope Valley with Elizabeth and make our life here, so I was wondering could I possibly have a job working for you Lee" Jack asked

"Of course you can work for me, and congrats to you and Elizabeth on starting a family. I am so happy for you" Lee responded

" Thanks Lee, I appreciate it now I must go and I will let you get working on with finding out who you can spare to help build the house and as soon as possible I would like an answer" Jack replied

"will do, I will let you know by tomorrow" Lee responded

After Jack had finished talking to Lee, he decided to go to the mercantile to purchase some items since he wanted to make a couple of special items he knew his dearest Elizabeth and himself would need once their baby arrived. While, he was at it he also ordered a nice comfy feather bed for them so that Elizabeth would have a place where she would be comfortable sleeping now that she was carrying their child. Once he purchased the needed supplies, Jack went out to their land and got to work, first on making a cradle for their baby and later he would work on making her a rocking chair as well, so that once the baby comes she would have someplace to sit, to rock and sing their baby to sleep.

Meanwhile at the school that same afternoon Elizabeth was busy teaching her students about the weather for science class and about a project they would have to do with partners related to any topic weather related to their interest and to talk to the rest of the class later in the week about it. Elizabeth went on to assign the class their partners they would be working with;

"Opal you will be with Timmy, Emily you will work with Robert, Cody you will be with Hattie, Anna you will work with Harper" Elizabeth said as she continued to call out names in pairs.

Once she had finished calling off names she told the class to come prepared with ideas to discuss with their partners. She then rang the cow bell which has been a gift from Jack three years earlier to dismiss her class for the day. Elizabeth was glad school was over for the day as she was tired out because she was pregnant, but the children sometimes wore her out as well. She gathered up her belongings and went home to rest for a bit before starting on dinner for her and Jack to enjoy.

Meanwhile on their land Jack was just finishing up with making the cradle and a very nice one at that, so he decided to cover it up and put it under the tent he had set up on the land so it could stay dry. He then set off for home. Once he got to the row houses he was surprised Elizabeth had made dinner for them as he knew she would be worn out even more than usual now that he knew she was going to have a baby which can make one tired, but for Elizabeth it was a little much after working all day with children who could sometimes wear he out as well.

After they had eaten dinner, Lee Coulter who happened to live next door with his wife Rosemary came over to tell Jack that they could start working on building the house tomorrow as Lee had gathered some men who would be willing to spare their time to help them build it, and a barn as well. Once he heard the news Jack said to Lee;

"Lee thank you so much I can't wait to tell Elizabeth, she will be so happy" Jack replied

After Lee had left, Jack went upstairs to where Elizabeth had gone after dinner to go to get ready for bed early because she was getting more tired easily these days because of the pregnancy he knew this now after Elizabeth had explained it to him the night before. As soon as he got to their bedroom he noticed Elizabeth was waiting for him, and she asked what took him so long to come up to bed, so Jack replied;

"I was talking to Lee and I have some good news, he and a few other men will help me to start building our new home on our land so that it can be done before the baby comes" Jack said

"That is great news Jack, I can't wait when will you start" Elizabeth asked

"We will start tomorrow" Jack responded

Elizabeth was excited that their house that Jack had shown her his plans to her months earlier before he left would finally be built, and the news could not have come at the most perfect moment. They would finally have room for their growing family, as the row house where they now lived was just too small.

The next morning Jack decided to grab an early breakfast at Abigail's cafe so as not to disturb Elizabeth who was still sleeping before setting off to their land plot to get started on building the house. Before he left, Jack wrote a note for Elizabeth to put on the kitchen table to let her know where he was in case she got worried when she woke up to get ready for the day. Pretty soon Lee and some other men joined Jack, and they started to build the house and barn following Jack's blueprint he had brought along as a guide as they got to work.


	7. Chapter7Buildingthehouseandtellingfamily

**Chapter 7: Building the House and Telling Their Families**

The first thing Jack did when Lee and other men got to Jacks land to help him build the house and barn for him and Elizabeth was to show them exactly where he wanted the barn built and where he wanted the house built. Since the barn would take the shortest amount of time to build they decided to build that first. The barn would consist of two stalls for their horses which at the moment were being kept at the livery in town and an area to keep other various required things for storage and tools etc.. Once the house was finished Jack planned on moving both the horses to the barn for keeping. Lee, Jack and the other men worked nonstop taking only a short break to grab a bite of lunch before setting to work again. By the end of the day the barn was done, so Jack decided to move the cradle he had made the day before into the barn to store it until he could place it in the nursery of the house they were to start on the next day.

Meanwhile Elizabeth, had let school out early for the day and went to Abigail's café to enjoy some friend time and tea and to catch her friend up with news about Jack and herself. Once she got to the café Elizabeth said to Abigail;

"I am so glad you told me I was pregnant you were right and Dr. Carson did indeed confirm it. I told Jack the other night when he returned home from his assignment and he was very happy that he got Lee and some other men to help him to build a new house for us and they started on it today so that it can be done before the baby comes. I can't wait to see it Abigail. I can't believe I will finally have a bigger home and a place where I plan on setting up a garden once the baby is born" Elizabeth told Abigail

" I am so excited for you Elizabeth, I know you will make a great mom because I know the children love you as their teacher and you love them, so I know you will love being a mom to your little one and I can already tell you are happy" Abigail responded

Elizabeth and Abigail spent a little more time chatting before she went home to grade some papers and prepare dinner for herself and Jack. As she waited for Jack to come home Elizabeth decided to make a list of things they would need to purchase for the baby so that they could order them as soon as possible and everything would be ready for the baby once it came. Soon Jack arrived home from working on building their new barn and house. As they ate dinner, Elizabeth brought up the fact that at some point that they would have to tell their families, his mom and brother and her parents and sisters that they were going to be grandparents and aunts and uncle in a couple of months, but Elizabeth was unsure if she should wait to write them once she started to show or to write them tonight, so she asked her husband Jack;

"when should we write to our families to tell them our good news that they will be grandparents" Elizabeth said to Jack, " should we wait another month once I start to show or write to then tonight to let them know" Elizabeth continued on

"The choice is up to you my dearest Elizabeth, but I would do it sooner rather than later that way they can get over the initial shock before the baby comes in case they decide to pop into town unexpectedly to come for a visit" Jack replied

Elizabeth took a minute to process what her beloved Jack had suggested before coming to the conclusion of what she wanted to do regarding their families and sharing the news with them so she said to Jack after a while;

"you are right it would be better to tell them sooner rather than later, so I will write my parents and sisters a letter tonight to send in the mail tomorrow" Elizabeth said

"good idea Elizabeth, and I will send my mother and brother a letter as well" Jack replied

So after dinner that night both Thorntons sat down to write letter to their relatives. Elizabeth sat down at her writing desk by the front door and wrote a letter off to her parents and Julie.

 _Dear Mother, Father, and Sister Julie,_

 _I have the most marvelous news I just have to share with you as I just found out right before Jack came home a few days ago. You are going to be grandparents and my dear sister Julie you will be an Aunt, as we are going to be having a baby in early summer most likely in mid -June is when I am due. Me and Jack are extremely excited, we can't wait for you to meet him or her when he or she arrive in couple of months._

 _-Your loving daughter Elizabeth-_

After Elizabeth finished the letter to her parents and Julie she wrote a letter her other sister Viola who lived with her husband in England. As Elizabeth was writing her letters, Jack was at the kitchen table writing a letter to his mother and one to his brother Tom about their wonderful news as well. After they had finished writing their letters and addressed them they put all four letters on the side table where they kept their photos of them as a couple so that one of them could go to the mercantile tomorrow to send off their letters. They then went upstairs for the rest of the night. As soon as they got into bed they snuggled up with one another and Jack decided to start to talk to Elizabeth's still flat stomach for some reason even though she was just over two months pregnant. He felt like he wanted to tell the baby how glad they were that they would be his/her parents and started to sing to it even though he was unsure babies could hear at that point or not. As Jack was talking Elizabeth seemed to be enjoying it as she was rubbing her stomach as it seemed to calm her down as well.

The next morning as soon as Elizabeth woke up she started to feel sick, she knew this was common through the first stages of pregnancy, but it seemed to have showed up a little late for her as she was almost through the first trimester which would end in about another month or two she was told by Abigail a few days before since she had experienced it herself. After getting through this she felt better so she got ready to go to school. One her way out of the door Elizabeth grabbed both hers and Jacks letters to their families and first stopped by the mercantile to mail the letters before heading to the school house and to await the arrival of her students.

Meanwhile back at the row house Jack was preparing to leave to go and continue to work on building their house with Lee and the other men in town who had offered to help. Jack was the first to arrive to his land so he decided to start measuring out the grid for the foundation of the house to make sure each room would be the size he planned on in the end on the inside before the rest of his hired crew and Lee showed up. Pretty soon Lee and the other men showed up and they got to work with the building of the first floor and after finishing up the frame for the first floor did the frame for the second floor which would include five bedrooms, one for him and Elizabeth, a guest room, and the remaining three would be bedrooms for their future children one of which jack will turn into a nursery when the building was done. Pretty soon Jack, Lee, and the other men were done for the day and had put up the whole frame of the house so they all went home.

 **A week later**

One morning Jack and Elizabeth woke up and got started for the day. Elizabeth asked how the building of the house was coming along and Jack responded;

"The building is coming along nicely it should be done soon" Jack replied

"That is good I can't wait to see it" Elizabeth responded

After having breakfast on what was a beautiful Saturday, Elizabeth decided to visit with Abigail and do some shopping the mercantile, so she gathered up her basket and coat and set off for town. Once she got to town she went to Abigail's café to have a morning chat before she opened for Breakfast. Abigail was so glad to see her and asked her how she was doing so Elizabeth said;

" I am doing fine, I still get morning sickness, but I am sure I will be over it in a few weeks hopefully and Jack tells me our house will be done soon" Elizabeth responded

"That is wonderful Elizabeth, and you will get over the sickness as it is a part of being pregnant" Abigail replied

After spending a few more minutes chatting with Abigail, Elizabeth went to the mercantile to do some shopping. After she had picked up what she needed, Mr. Yost handed her some letters as she way paying for her purchases. As soon as she got outside she saw that the letters were from her parents and Jacks mother Charlotte who Elizabeth got along well with when she had come to town a few years ago. Once Elizabeth got home she put away her purchases and sat down to read the letter from her parents to see how they had responded to her news.

 _My Precious daughter Elizabeth,_

 _Your mother and I are extremely happy for you and Jack. Congrats to both of you and soon to be little one. We can hardly wait to come and visit. We will plan to come at end of June so as not to startle you as you get ready for the arrival of your little one. Hope it is going well so far. Also, you sister Julie says to tell you she is excited to become an aunt._

 _-Love your father and Mother-_

After reading the letter from her parents Elizabeth decided to start knitting a couple more baby blankets for their child so that they could have a couple of them so she got out the yarn she had just purchased at the mercantile earlier in pink, blue, and, purple and her knitting needles. She set to work first on making the pink blanket and over the next couple of weeks she would continue to knit until she had made one in the other colors she had brought.

Meanwhile at the site of their house Jack, Lee, and the other men were continuing to work on the house and pretty soon it was all enclosed and had a roof on it and finally starting to look like a house. Jack was thinking to himself I sure hope I can finish this before Christmas it would make Elizabeth so happy, so I will stick to my plan. Once Jack was done for the day he went home and saw that Elizabeth had placed a letter from his mother on the side table by the stairs so he could find it, so he opened it up and read. In her letter his mother was excited for him and Elizabeth and was happy she was finally going to be a grandmother. As Jack was reading the letter Elizabeth was just walking down the stairs in order to get dinner ready as had been upstairs knitting for most of the afternoon. She noticed that he was reading the letter from his mother and asked him what his mom had to say so he replied;

"My mother is happy to finally become a grandmother and is excited for us" Jack responded

"That is great news Jack, I also got a letter from my parents as well and they are excited and plan to come and visit us to see the baby sometime in late June" Elizabeth replied

Jack was glad Elizabeth's parents were also happy for them as his relationship with her father started off rocky, but he had learned to accept him once he found out he would be marrying Elizabeth a few months earlier and he had even come to their wedding they had before Jack had left for his two month back in late Aug- early Sept. Jack was glad that her parents would wait until the summer to visit them and the baby once born, and it was a good thing because if it was before then they would not have anytime to prepare for the visit with everything else that they had to do before the baby was born. The only thing at the moment that Jack wanted to finish first before doing anything else was finishing up the house in its entirety so he could surprise Elizabeth in a couple of weeks since she had not seen it yet.

After they had dinner Jack and Elizabeth had a talk about names for both boys and girls since they did not know what they would have until the baby was born. They had agreed to choose two names for each and whatever names they did not use they would save for later on. So they each made a list if their favorite names for each other to look over later once the baby was born. They were glad they had decided to do this early so they could focus on other things.

The next morning Jack woke up early and had breakfast so he could have an early start on working on the house, plus he wanted to spend some time to make a rocking chair as well for Elizabeth to have in the nursery. After eating, Jack went out to the house and straight to the barn to start working on the chair before the rest of the other men came to work on the house. By the time the other men showed up to work Jack had the chair half done and he and the other men continued to work on the house. Finally all the walls were up, the floor was in, the door and windows were put in and it was ready for painting the next day. After everyone else had left Jack went back to the barn to finish working on the rocking chair until it was finished then went home.

Meanwhile Elizabeth spent her day knitting blankets for the baby and planning a Christmas program for her class they would put on next month for their parents and the rest of Hope Valley. After doing this for a few hours she went to the mercantile to see if she could borrow a catalogue to look through with Jack later and Mr. Yost gladly gave her one which she promised to return later on and he also handed her some letters, one from her sister Viola and the other from Jacks brother Tom. She assumed these were their answers to their letters regarding their special news, then she went home to start dinner and read her sisters letter.

As soon as Jack got home Elizabeth handed him a letter from Tom which he read as she was finishing up dinner. They talked about the letter and how happy both her older sister Viola and his brother Tom were happy to become an Aunt and Uncle. Elizabeth then told Jack;

"Today while I was at the mercantile I picked up a catalogue so we can look at baby items to see what we need to buy before the baby gets here, why don't we do this tonight" Elizabeth said

"Ok, that is a great idea that way we won't have to do it later" Jack replied

"That was my thought exactly and the next I go to the mercantile I will tell Mr. Yost what to order for us" Elizabeth responded

So that evening, they spent looking through the catalogue and selected the items they would need for the baby. After they had settled that, they fell asleep for the night.


	8. Ch8JackFinishestheHouseSurpriesElizabeth

**Chapter 8: Jacks finishes the house and Surprises Elizabeth**

The next morning after eating breakfast that Elizabeth makes for him, Jack goes to the mercantile to buy several cans of paint, so that he and the other men can paint the house. He goes for white paint, but he also buys some other colors in smaller cans as well for a surprise he will paint later on. While he is at it, he also orders a stove and asks about the bed which he is told will arrive in a few days. Once he gets to the house and before the others men arrive Jack gets to work painting the cradle and rocking chair he had made earlier as well so they can dry while the house is being painted. Once Lee and the other men get to the house they get to work painting. It does not take them long to do this since there are a couple of them and they divide up the work evenly. By the end of the day they are finished painting the house. Jack will wait for a few days before painting something special in the room that will be the nursery, so that the wall paint can dry first.

Meanwhile at the school Elizabeth is telling her students that in just a few weeks it will be Christmas, and that they will be putting on a special Christmas program for the parents and the rest of Hope Valley. She goes on to explain to her class;

"each one of you will have a part in our program which you will learn more about in a few days" Elizabeth tells her class

All of the kids were excited for this. After school is let out for the day Elizabeth decides to go to the mercantile to order some maternity clothes because she knows that pretty soon she will need them as with each passing week she is getting closer to the end of the first trimester and will start to show soon and her own clothes keep getting tighter even when she lets them out some as well. After her stop at the mercantile Elizabeth goes home to finish planning and working on the Christmas program and lesson plans for the next few weeks before school lets out for the holidays.

 **A few days later**

Now that the house was finished and painted, Jack decided to work on his surprise for his dearest wife Elizabeth using the paint he had brought a few days before. Jack goes up to the room he has selected as the nursery and the closest to the room that will be his and Elizabeth's. He takes out all the supplies he needs and on one of the walls draws the mountains you can see in the distance beyond hope valley and above that he paints Halley's Comet shooting across the mountains. Jack decided to do this because watching the comet and looking at each other with love was the first time he knew he fell in love with Elizabeth when it came through town five years early and they were just started to date one another, and fell in love and have been ever since. While the paint dries in the nursery, Jack next goes to the bedroom that will be his and Elizabeth's and on one of the walls above where the bed will be placed he paints in his nice writing "love is patient, love is kind" their favorite verse from one Corinthians. After he finishes painting he goes to the mercantile to inquire about the items he had ordered, and Mr. Yost says they have arrive so Jack ask;

"Mr. Yost could the items be delivered to my land as soon as possible" Jack says

"Of course Jack, I will have them delivered later this afternoon" responds

"Great, see you later" Jack replies

After stopping by the mercantile Jack next goes to the livery to get his horse and Elizabeth's horse and brings them to their land and their new barn where they will live from now on and feeds them with some hay he had ordered a few days ago.

Meanwhile at school Elizabeth was getting ready to assign her students their parts for the Christmas Program, which they were to practice every day at home and they would practice during part of the day at school as well for the next two weeks leading up to the day of the program which would be Dec 12th . This would be right before school let out for Christmas break. Elizabeth starts assigning the parts by saying;

"Opal you will be an angel, Cody you will be a wise men along with Robert and Harper, Emily you will be Mary, Timmy you will be Joseph" Elizabeth says as she continues to list and assign parts to the rest of her students " and tomorrow I will hand you your scripts and lines to start practicing" Elizabeth continues.

After she had finished talking about the Christmas program and assigning parts Elizabeth rings the cow bell to dismiss her class for the day. Elizabeth cleans up her classroom then gathers up her things and goes to visit with Abigail for a bit before going home to start dinner and grade some math tests.

Later that afternoon, out in the barn Jack was busy starting to build a toy chest for their baby so there would be someplace for toys. Once the baby is born he will paint the name on the lid. Just as he is finishing making it Mr. Yost arrives with a couple of other men with the feather bed and the stove Jack had ordered a few months and days ago. First, they unload the stove and Jack shows them where to put it and they set it all up. Finally, the carry in the bed piece by piece to the room Jack indicates upstairs and shows them where to assemble it so they set it up, and Jack goes and fetches some bedding he had brought and stored in the barn to put on the new feather bed. After they finish getting everything and leave, Jack goes back to the barn and carries up the cradle, the toy chest, and the rocking chair to the nursery he had painted in earlier that day and positions each item where he wants them. Then he goes home and spends the evening with Elizabeth.

 **Two Weeks Later**

The day of the Christmas program came and Elizabeth was glad her class knew their roles so well, and all of the hard work they did as they practiced for the program. Everyone was getting ready to go except Jack and a few of the single men in town who were going to help him move everything from the row house to the new house so he could surprise Elizabeth later on. Since she had left early, Jack quickly got to work with packing up everything with the help of some others. The only thing Jack left in the row house was the stove since he had brought a new one already in their house. Once everything was packed up in several wagons Jack led the way to their land and newly built house. First, they unloaded the bed from the row house and Jack showed them where the now guest bed would go as he showed them the guest room. They continued to unload the big items first from the kitchen table and chairs, the couch, side tables, nightstands, Elizabeth's writing desk and indicates where everything should go. Next, they carry the boxes with smaller items and place them in the room where they belong and unpack from the kitchen items, pictures and everything else. Pretty soon everything is unpacked and set up.

Meanwhile at the school the children's Christmas program is just finishing up when Jack arrives to escort Elizabeth home, but she has no idea she is in for a surprise and sooner than she thought. Elizabeth says to her class after the program ends by saying;

'Thank you for joining us and hope you enjoyed our program and see you all in January "Elizabeth says to her class and the audience.

On the way home Jack tells Elizabeth to close her eyes for the whole trip, so she obeys. Pretty soon they arrive and Jack helps Elizabeth down from the wagon he has borrowed and once he does Jack says;

"Okay Elizabeth you can open your eyes now" Jack tells her

As soon as she does Elizabeth is speechless, she can't believe the house is built then Jack tells her to turn around and she sees the barn and is surprised to see it done as well. Next, Jack leads her inside and she notices that everything is already there then asks Jack;

"Jack, when did you find the time to pack up the row house and move everything here" Elizabeth asked

"I did it while you were doing your Christmas program with help from a few other people to surprise you" Jack replied

"Well I certainly am surprised" Elizabeth responded "and it is the best surprise ever you are the best Jack" continued Elizabeth

"Wait there is more I want to show you, close your eyes" Jack said, as he helps guide Elizabeth up the stairs and to the room he selected as the nursery

"Okay, you can open your eyes, and be honest tell me what you think" Jack says

As soon as Elizabeth opens her eyes and sees the nursery for the baby she is totally speechless for a few minutes then finally says;

"Oh, Jack it is absolutely beautiful, I especially love the mural on the wall. I love that you did this" Elizabeth replies. She then walks further into the room and sees the cradle, rocking chair, and toy chest Jack had made and says; " I love that you made these Jack thank you so much, you are the best Husband ever to take time to build and make furniture for our child" Elizabeth responded

" you are welcome my dearest Elizabeth, you once told me that you wanted me to make a cradle for our child someday, so I kept my promise and I did. The other two things I did as extra. The chest is for our child and once they are born I will paint the name we choose on it, and the rocking chair is mostly for you so you can sit and be able to rock and sing our little one to sleep" Jack replied

Next Jack shows Elizabeth their room and again falls in love with it especially the phrase he painted above the bed and Elizabeth says;

"Oh jack, you wrote our favorite saying, you're the best husband every and treat me so well and spoil me I love it" Elizabeth responded

I know I try" Jack replies, "go on try out the bed I know you will love it" Jack continues

So Elizabeth sits on the edge of the new bed and says;

"Jack is this what I think it is" Elizabeth asked

"yes, it is a feather bed my dear Elizabeth, you will now be able to sleep more comfortable now and I know it will help once you start to show in a few weeks and throughout the next six-seven months as well until the baby is born, I am sure" Jack responded.

"thank you jack, I know I will' Elizabeth replied

Jack was glad that his dearest Elizabeth, his wife and soon mother to their child was happy about the new house and loved it a lot. They would be spending their first official Christmas as Husband and wife in their new home in just a few weeks. After Jack had shown her the rest of the house, Elizabeth got dinner ready for them the first in their newly carefully built house by her husband. After dinner they went upstairs to get ready for bed in their new feather bed. Elizabeth was happy that at about a little over three months pregnant she would be able to be comfortable again in bed, as the past few months she took a long time getting comfortable in the row house bed which was now the guest room bed Elizabeth knew after Jack had showed her. Elizabeth could feel the start of a baby bump starting to grow little by little for the past few weeks since she felt her clothes getting tighter and smaller. Tomorrow she would go and ask Mr. Yost about the clothes she had ordered and order the baby items they had discussed the month before. Just before going to sleep Elizabeth asked Jack;

"when do you think we should have our friends over so they can see the house" Elizabeth said

"anytime will work for me as long as it is before Christmas" Jack replied

"Of course, will Friday work for you Jack" Elizabeth responded

"Friday it fine" Jack replied

"Friday it is, Abigail will be excited I can't wait to tell her" Elizabeth said

So it was settled Jack and Elizabeth Thornton would have their friends over for a dinner party on Friday on show off their new house.

After they finished their conversation Jack continued his nightly ritual. Jacks ritual for the past month and half ever since Jack found out Elizabeth was pregnant was that he always sang to her slowly growing belly even though she was not even showing just quiet yet, bet he seemed to enjoy doing it so Elizabeth let him as she rubbed and sang along with him every night. By this point it had become one of their night time rituals before falling asleep. Elizabeth was able to finally fall asleep pretty quick in their new home, and in the most comfortable new feather bed ever and Jack was glad as well as they drifted off to sleep.


	9. Ch9 DinnerPartyFirstMarriedchristmas

Chapter 9: Dinner Party&First Husband/Wife Christmas

The next morning Elizabeth wakes up after having the best sleep since becoming pregnant in their new feather bed of their new house. After making breakfast and getting dressed for the day, Elizabeth starts a list of what to get at the mercantile for what they will need for the next few days and for the dinner party they will have for their friends on Friday so they can see the house. After making her list Elizabeth goes to the mercantile to get the items on her list, buy some material and fabric to make bedding for the cradle and a cushion for the rocking chair, orders the baby items like a crib for later on, changing table, a double stroller (just in case?), some baby clothes in all sizes, bottles, a high chair and more. Once she gets to the counter she does this plus she asks Mr. Yost about the clothes she had ordered a few weeks ago and he replies "they just arrived yesterday I will get your package for you Elizabeth" Mr. Yost says

After finishing up at the mercantile Elizabeth heads to the Mayor's office where she finds her friend Abigail who happens to be Hope Valley's Mayor. Once she gets there she says to Abigail;

"you are invited over on Friday to our new home for a get together, hope you can come "Elizabeth says

"of course I can't wait to see your new house Elizabeth" Abigail responds

Meanwhile Jack heads to the sawmill to invite Lee and his wife Rosemary to their house for dinner on Friday night. Once he gets there he says to Lee;

"you and Rosemary are invited Friday night for dinner, hope you can come" Jack says

"of course, I can't wait to see your new house put all together and neither can Rosemary we will be there" Lee responds

After inviting Abigail, Elizabeth continues to find the rest of their friends in town to invite them like Dottie, Florence, Faith, and before heading home where she makes lunch for her and Jack before they go out and select a Christmas tree to put up in the house for their first Christmas as a married couple and to decorate for the holiday which is only about a week or so away and so much to do to make their house festive.

As soon as they finish eating they go in search of the perfect tree and finally bring it home about an hour later. After setting up the tree Jack goes out to the barn where he had decided to store the Christmas decorations and they start decorating the house and the tree.

After they finish decorating Elizabeth decides to start making the cushion seat for the rocking chair in the nursery to make it more comfy. After she finishes that she starts on making bedding for the cradle as well. While she is doing that Jack decides to go out to the barn to get to work on making his Christmas gift for Elizabeth which will be a book shelf for putting all her books on in the writing room downstairs along where she has her writing desk.

After finishing with her sewing Elizabeth gets ready to make dinner for them and she tries to think of what she can give to Jack for their first Christmas together besides having given him a really early gift of soon to become a father just mere months after getting married. She decides to go back to the mercantile to see what she can find for him when she goes and visits Dr. Carson for a check-up. Soon Jack comes back to the house and they eat dinner and Elizabeth says;

"while I was in town this morning I asked all our friends to come on Friday and they have agreed to come" Elizabeth said

"Good I talked to Lee and he and Rosemary are excited to come on Friday as well" Jack replied

"That is great, now that is done all I need to do is figure out the menu for Friday" Elizabeth responds

"Try not to stress over it too much dearest wife, you are carrying our baby after all, too much stress can't be good" Jack replies

"I promise I won't. I will try my hardest my beloved husband" Elizabeth responds

After dinner is over Elizabeth decides to go to her writing desk to get her Journal and spend some time writing about Jack and him surprising her the other night with the house and making the nursery extra special for their child as well. She does this before heading to bed and going through their nightly ritual of Jack talking or singing to their growing baby and her growing belly which Elizabeth finds to be soothing for herself as well while she protectively rubs it.

Over the next few days Elizabeth plans and continues with getting every detail for Friday night done. After she has finished making the cushion for the rocking chair she goes into the nursery to put it on and she does the same with the bedding for the cradle and takes one of the knitted blankets she made and makes up the cradle so it can be ready ahead of time so she won't have to worry about it later on. By Thursday Elizabeth had everything ready for the dinner party. So on Thursday morning Elizabeth goes into town for a check-up with Dr. Carson who tells her everything is going good so far with the pregnancy and that she seems healthy which is good. After her check-up Dr. Carson says to her;

" If you want to know more about your baby I suggest you go to Union City soon, maybe next month would be best and they can tell you more like what you are having and more" Dr. Carson says to Elizabeth

"Thank you . I will consider it thanks for the advice" Elizabeth replies

After finishing up at the infirmary Elizabeth goes to the mercantile to buy Jack a gift for Christmas. After looking for a good long while she finally settles on getting Jack a painting set and some brushes and paper since she knows he loves to paint and do art from what he had given her through the years they were dating like the drawing of them and the mural he painted in the nursery for their baby for her and others. She then goes home and hides the present until she can find time to wrap it without him finding out.

 **Day of the Dinner Party**

Finally the day of the Dinner party the Thorntons were to give at their new house so everyone could see it arrived. Elizabeth was excited to show them her new home especially to show the nursery to Abigail who was the only one aside from Dr. Carson, Jack, and Lee who knew she was pregnant, but once they saw the nursery then they would start to ask questions, but Elizabeth was prepared to tell them her good news. Elizabeth decided to cook the meal early that way everything could be ready for when everyone got here. She had decided to make shepherds pie one of the only dishes she knew to make really well. Pretty soon everyone arrived and instantly fell in love with the house from the outside and the barn. Once everyone was inside Elizabeth said;

"before we eat Jack and I have something to show and tell you" Elizabeth says to her friends, so she leads them upstairs to the nursery

The first reaction comes from Abigail which Elizabeth knew it would and she says;

"OH, Elizabeth it is just amazing, did Jack do this" Abigail asks

"Yes he did as a surprise for me, isn't he the best Abigail" Elizabeth replies

"Yes he is and you sure are lucky to have found him Elizabeth, you two are the perfect couple" Abigail responds

It takes a few minutes longer for everyone else to understand what is going on then Rosemary says to her;

"Are you Pregnant Elizabeth" Rosemary asks

"Yes, me and Jack are going to have a baby Rosemary" Elizabeth replies

"Oh, my so soon, that is just great Elizabeth, you will make a great mom" Rosemary responds.

Elizabeth also tells them that Jack made everything that is sitting in the room and Lee says;

"really, wow Jack sure has some skills if he made all this and the mural did he paint that as well" Lee asks

" Yes he did, I sure do have a talented husband and one who loves and cares so much to do this" Elizabeth responds

After Elizabeth finishes showing them the nursery they all go back down and eat. Everyone tells Jack one by one what a good job he did with making his new house feel like home is such a short time and especially the nursery he put together. Pretty soon the night comes to an end and everyone leaves. They clean up and Jack and Elizabeth were both so glad their friends were happy for them and loved their new home. After cleaning up Jack decided to spend a little more time out in the barn finishing making Elizabeth her Christmas gift since Christmas was only a few days away. As soon as Jack left to go out to the barn Elizabeth grabbed some wrapping and her gift to Jack from its hiding and wrapped it up then went to go place it under the tree. Pretty soon Jack came back in and they went upstairs. Jack and Elizabeth spent some time talking about how the night went and Jack said to Elizabeth;

"I hope all the commotion tonight did not upset out little one inside you dearest Elizabeth" Jack asked

" It did not my beloved Jack" Elizabeth replied, "but he/she will loved on by all our friends when the time comes won't you" Elizabeth says as she slowly starts to talk to herself and looks down at her little bump that is slowly growing with every day that passes. Elizabeth knows that once school starts back up in Jan after the new year she will be showing for sure and her students will start asking questions, but she will have answers prepared to them whenever they will be asked

"he or she sure will be won't you my little one" Jack says to Elizabeth's stomach and "our friends will spoil him/her my dearest" Jack responds to Elizabeth before they fall asleep.

 **A Few days Later- Christmas Day**

Jack and Elizabeth were comfortably settled into their new home and were able to celebrate their first Christmas morning as Husband and wife. The night before Jack snuck in his gift to Elizabeth from the barn into the house after she had fallen asleep to put next to the tree for this morning. Soon Jack woke up and he let his wife Elizabeth have her sleep since he knew she would need it now that she was three and a half months along, so he let her sleep in on Christmas. He decided to go downstairs and make breakfast and bring it to her in bed as a Christmas gift before giving her what he had built. As soon as he walks back upstairs with a tray of breakfast, Elizabeth wakes up and is surprised to have breakfast brought to her in bed on Christmas morning so she asks Jack;

"My beloved is there a special reason why you have brought me breakfast in bed this Christmas morning" Elizabeth says

"yes my dearest, I thought I would let you sleep in this morning. I know you will start to need more rest now that you are carrying our child and as much as you can before school starts up again in the new year" Jack replies, " so I thought I would make breakfast for a change" Jack continues on with his explanation to his wife.

"That is sweet of you my beloved, thank you. I love you more than you know for thinking of me and our baby in this way, you're the best husband I could have ever asked for" Elizabeth responds.

After they had eaten breakfast in bed Jack and Elizabeth go downstairs and exchange gifts with one another. Jack gives his to Elizabeth first. When she sees that he had built her a bookshelf for her books she is so happy to finally have a place for her books and Jack says;

"I thought it would go nicely with your writing desk in the other room you use for doing your school work in" Jack tells Elizabeth

"That would be the perfect spot for it thanks Jack I love you" Elizabeth replies

Next Elizabeth hands Jack his gift. When he opens it up and finds a set of paints, brushes, and paper he tells Elizabeth;

"Thank you, just what I needed" Jack tells Elizabeth, "I knew you would, I know how you love to draw and paint" Elizabeth replies

After opening gifts they just sit by the tree thinking of what the past few months have been like so far and all they have been through before that in order to get where they are now .Then Elizabeth says to Jack;

"just think next year at Christmas will be different as we will have a little one to enjoy it with" Elizabeth tells Jack as she places her hand on her little bump and hid hand on top of hers and they stay there for a few minutes just thinking of what is to come is just six and half months from now.

They spend the rest of the day together with one another, going on a picnic by the lake and go for a stroll around town enjoying all the Christmas decorations that have been hung up around Hope Valley the community they are a part of. They then go home, enjoy a nice dinner and take a nice long bubble bath in the hug tube Jack had ordered when he got home from training new mounties before leaving for good together before getting into bed and doing their little lovely nightly ritual before drifting off to sleep in their nice soft feather bed cuddled up with each other with her hand protectively draped over her tummy and his arm wrapped around her shoulders.


	10. Chapter 10 Back to School

**Chapter 10: Back to School**

 **A few weeks later- Jan 1916**

A new year had arrived and in another week Elizabeth would be back in the classroom with her students. Today she decided to work on lesson plans up through the end of the school year so that way when the time came for her to leave in a few months lessons plans would be ready to give to whoever she choose to sub for her while she was at home awaiting the arrival of her baby. She would be good to go back to teaching in the fall since she was due in June and the school year started in September which gave her plenty of time to figure out a plan. After breakfast she got to work at her desk and after working for a while she decided that she would need to go to the mercantile to buy some supplies she would need for Monday when she went back to school. When she got to the mercantile she picked up what she needed then she inquired about the order she had placed last night for the baby items and Mr. Yost said;

"Mrs. Thornton your order will be here in a few days" Mr. Yost said

"Thank you, when it arrives could you possibly deliver it to the house" Elizabeth responded

"Of course that should not be a problem" Mr. Yost replied

After finishing that errand Elizabeth set off for home to continue planning for school before calling it a day and started to make dinner for Jack and herself and going to bed early.

 **A week later- A New School Segment Starts**

Elizabeth woke up happy as today she would be seeing her students again today. She wondered if anyone would notice any difference in her now that it was pretty clear she was showing and it was noticeable. Elizabeth was about a week away from being four months in and she was enjoying it so far now that her morning sickness had gone away a few weeks ago and she was back to her normal self. Elizabeth knew that today would also be the day that Jack would start working for Lee at the sawmill. He had told her that when he got home months earlier he had resigned as a Mountie so he could enjoy their life together and she would not have to worry about him anymore and she was excited that he would always be safe from now on and be around for a longtime.

After they had eaten breakfast, just like Jack did every morning he walked her to school, but for the next couple of months he would be doing this as a precaution since she was now carrying their child and she got there safely without any incident. He would also pick her up after school as well. He knew it must be a fatherly instinct of some sort as well as a loving husband being concerned for his wife's safety, Jack thought to himself as he walked his wife Elizabeth to school before heading to report to Lee at the mill.

As soon as Elizabeth got to school she went straight to the chalkboard and wrote the first assignment on the board along with a welcome back message for her students. After she did that she picked up her cow bell and opened the door to the school house. Elizabeth had already noticed her students were catching up outside with each other. Soon Elizabeth rang the bell to gather her students inside and welcomed them back as they walked past her into the school house to take their seats. After everyone had entered she closed the door and walked to the front to get started for the day. As soon as she turned to address her class Opal raised her hand and said;

"Mrs. Thornton, something looks different about you" Opal said in her sweet voice that Elizabeth loved

" Thank you Opal as a matter a fact there is, can anyone else tell as well" Elizabeth asked her class and almost everyone raised their hands.

"Wow, you are indeed the most observant students I have" Elizabeth said, so she told her class what to expect in a few months from now

"In a few months I will be leaving to stay home for a while, but I will be back in the fall" Elizabeth tells her students

"Why, Mrs. Thornton" the children said all at once

"because, I will be home caring for my own child for a while" Elizabeth told her class, as she places her hand on her showing bump

"Are you having Mountie Jack's baby" Emily asked

"Yes, Emily me and Mountie Jack are having a baby" Elizabeth replies

"I will be leaving in April and you will have a sub until summer break" Elizabeth tells her class

"Do you have to leave us with a Sub Mrs. Thornton" Cody asked

"Yes I do, but I will make sure they will be patient with you and it will be someone from town" Elizabeth replies.

Once the questions from her students were out of the way she told them that for their first assignment to write a short paragraph in their copy books about their Christmas Holiday which you will then tell the class about later on .

Meanwhile at the sawmill Jack was learning from Lee about his new job working for his friend in order to support his wife and soon to be child on the way. Jack was so happy and looking forward to becoming a dad in a few months. He and Elizabeth have had countless discussions about children while dating. He could remember every single one and now their dreams were finally going to come true in a few months. He could hardly wait. He knew he wanted to not only be the best Husband, but he wanted to be a great dad as well. He also knew Elizabeth would be a great mother as he had seen her with the children she taught and she loved them and they loved her. He knew she would love their child just as much as the children she taught.

Meanwhile at school Elizabeth's students were slowly getting back into the school day routine. As the day went on her students kept asking her questions about the baby each time she would walk by their seats to check on their progress as they worked on their assignments. Elizabeth tried her best to answer their questions as best as she could. Pretty soon the school day was over and Elizabeth dismissed her students to go home. As she was straighten up her desk and gathering up her things Jack comes to escort her home, but first she says to her Husband;

"Jack, I first need to go to the mercantile to inquire about items I ordered for our little one last month then we can go home" Elizabeth said

"Okay don't take too long, I am sure you are tired after a long day of teaching" Jack replies

"I won't Jack, I will be quick" Elizabeth responds

As soon as they get to the mercantile Elizabeth goes inside and inquiries about the items she had ordered last month and Mr. Yost says they have arrived and asks;

"would you like them delivered in a short while" Mr. Yost asks

"yes how about in an hour or two" Elizabeth asks

"Of course Mrs. Thornton, see you later" Mr. Yost replies

After finishing up her conversation with Mr. Yost Elizabeth and Jack go home and she takes a little nap. After she wakes up from her nap Mr. Yost arrives with the items she had ordered for the baby and Jack helps him unload them and bring up to the nursery so that Jack can assemble them later on and Elizabeth puts up the baby clothes until storage can be put together. After helping Mr. Yost unload the items Jack offers to make dinner so Elizabeth can rest for the night and she accepts Jacks offer which Elizabeth enjoys being cared for so well by her sweet husband. Elizabeth knows Jack would do anything for her and he does because they love each other for one another no matter what it is. They knew from the moment they met that they were meant for each other, but they did not know it yet, until a year later after they had met five years ago.

After dinner Elizabeth decides to take a nice long bubble bath and to relax before spending some time with Jack for some one on one time since they only have a few months before they won't have much alone time once their child is born Elizabeth knows before bed. Every time Jack sees his beautiful pregnant wife he falls in love at the sight of her over again because it makes him happy to see her and he loves that they are starting their own family just like they had always talked about. He knows their child will just be beautiful because they made it together. As soon as she gets into the bed Jack does his nightly ritual of talking to Elizabeth's growing belly which is now showing and says;

"we can't wait to meet you little one, we already love you so much" Jack says as Elizabeth smiles at how sweet her husband is as she watches him talk to their growing baby inside her, which makes her happy then they drift off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11 Dr AppointValentines Day

**Chapter 11: Doctors Appointment/ Valentine's Day**

 **One month later-Feb 1916**

So far Elizabeth and Jack were enjoying married life as just husband and wife and looking forward to the birth of their little one in another four and half months or so. They were both so excited, but also nervous. They were also looking forward to celebrating their first Valentine's Day as husband and wife as well, but Elizabeth was struggling with what to get Jack the love of her life for this Special holiday which celebrates love. She wanted it to be a special one that he would never forget. She thought back to the times they had shared when they both arrived in Hope Valley back when it was called Coal Valley and particularly of the bassett hound dog Jack had found and took care of for four years before he passed. It made her think of the time she had tried to get the dog to like her, then the idea for the perfect gift to give Jack came to mind. She would try to find a bassett hound puppy to give him, so she went to the mercantile during lunch to send a telegram to her father to see if he knew of anyone who had some for sale, and while she was at it sent a telegram to Union City to request a doctor's appointment since she feels like she is getting bigger than she should at almost five months for just a single baby and learn more as her doctor Dr. Carson had suggested before Christmas. After she sends the telegrams she goes back and resumes class for the afternoon.

Meanwhile Jack was at the sawmill and just finishing up for the day. After he would go to Abigail's to ask her for a favor since he was planning something special for Elizabeth for Valentine's Day and their first as husband and wife. Jack knew he could trust Abigail to keep a secret so he said to her;

"could I reserve the café for Valentine's Day, I want to surprise Elizabeth be recreating a special moment" Jack asks "and it must be kept a secret" he continues  
" Of course, you can Jack I won't tell her at all" Abigail replies

"Thank you, Abigail I appreciate it" Jack responds

After Jack finishes his conversation with Abigail he goes to the school to walk Elizabeth home who is just about to let class out for the day. As soon as Jack sees the students start to stream out the door he steps to the side as he waits for the last one to go by before going inside to help his wife who is tidying up her work area so that he can carry her school things for her. On their walk home Elizabeth says;

" I will need to go to Union city next week for a doctor's appointment and I know you walk me everywhere, but I need to do this alone, I don't want Lee to get upset if you miss work just to take me to another town" Elizabeth tells Jack

"of course I understand Elizabeth, just be careful on the trip there okay" Jack replies

"of course I will, and if I decide I need someone to go with me I can ask Abigail" Elizabeth responds

They then continue on in silence on their walk home

 **A Week Later**

The day before Elizabeth goes to Union City she goes and finds Rosemary during lunch and asks her for a favor while she is out of town for an appointment. Once she locates Rosemary, Elizabeth says;

"would you be willing to teach my class for a few days while I am in Union City for an appointment Rosemary" Elizabeth asks

"of course I will Elizabeth" Rosemary replies

"Thank you so much I will try to be back as soon as possible" Elizabeth responds

After Elizabeth goes to the mercantile to see if there are any telegrams for her regarding the favor she had ask her father to look into about pertaining a gift she wants to give Jack for Valentine's Day next week. She gets a reply and is so happy that her dad knows of someone who is selling bassett hound puppies so she concludes she will go to Cape Fullerton after Union City to go and get one to surprise Jack with for Valentine's Day. The next day Elizabeth leaves for Union City for her doctor's appointment that would be the next day. As soon as she gets there she goes to the hotel she booked a room at and takes a nap before going for dinner somewhere. The day after she arrives Elizabeth goes to her appointment with Dr. Burns who works at the hospital so she tells him;

"I am five months pregnant, but I feel like I am bigger than I should be, I was wondering if you could tell me the reason why" Elizabeth asks

"Of course, why don't you just lie down and I will be right back with the ultrasound machine and take a look" Dr. Burns replies

Dr. Burns leaves the room and returns shortly to examine Elizabeth and check on her to find the answer to her question she asked. After doing so he confirms that Elizabeth is right and tells her why by saying;

"Mrs. Thornton you are feeling bigger than you should be at five months because you are having twins which is common" Dr. Burns explains

"Twins…are you sure" Elizabeth asks

"Positive" Dr. Burns responds  
"Thank you so much" Elizabeth replies

As she is leaving Elizabeth can hardly believe that she and Jack were going to be having twins as she walks back to the hotel at which she will stay at one more night before going to Cape Fullerton to pick up Jacks gift for Valentine's Day. The next day Elizabeth takes the train to Cape Fullerton to pick up a bassett hound puppy to bring home with her as a gift for Jack, then takes the next train home to Hope Valley. As soon as she gets home she goes to Abigail's and asks her to keep Jacks present for her for a few days so it can be kept a surprise. Abigail agrees and takes the puppy from Elizabeth. After she leaves Abigail's Elizabeth goes to the mercantile to order another crib now that she knows that she is having twins and as she walks is thinking to herself that it was a good thing she has ordered the double stroller just as a precaution. After finishing up she goes to Lee and Rosemary's house to thank Rosemary for filling in for her while she was gone the past few days, before going home to Jack.

 **Valentine's Day**

Elizabeth was excited to finally be able to give Jack his gift today that she had picked up in Cape Fullerton last week. She could not wait to see the look on his face when she handed him the bassett hound puppy. Jack was also excited to share their first ever Valentine's Day together as husband and wife and he was sure Elizabeth would love his surprise he had planned for dinner later that night. As soon as they woke up Jack decided to make them a special breakfast before walking Elizabeth to school for the day.

After Jack leaves Elizabeth at school he goes to work just for the morning then spends the afternoon getting everything ready for their Valentine's Day he has planned at Abigail's Café for her. After he gets everything set up, it is finally time to get Elizabeth at school and go home so she can rest for a bit before Jack takes her out for dinner and to surprise her. A little while later as soon as Elizabeth wakes up from her nap Jack says to her;

"Put on something nice, I have a special surprise for you and we will go to town for dinner" Jack tells his dearest wife Elizabeth

"Okay, just give me a couple of minutes, then we can go" Elizabeth replies

"Okay, take your time my dearest wife, soon to be mother of our little one" Jack responds

As soon as Elizabeth finishes getting dressed, she and Jack leave and go to town. As soon as they get to town Jack says;

"close your eyes, Elizabeth and don't open them until I say so" Jack tells her

"okay, I won't" Elizabeth replies as Jack slowly guides her towards Abigail's and his surprise.

Once they get inside Jack says;

"Okay you can open your eyes Elizabeth" Jack tells his wife

As soon as Elizabeth opens her eyes and sees Jack surprise she is speechless for about two minutes before saying;

"oh, Jack I love this, you recreated our first date we had here didn't you" Elizabeth asks her husband.

"yes, I did my dearest wife, I wanted this to be a Valentine's Day you would not forget" Jack responds as he hands her a bouquet of flowers as they sit down at the Candle lit table to enjoy dinner.

After they eat Elizabeth says to Jack;

"I will be right back close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you so" Elizabeth tells Jack as she gets up to go ask Abigail to bring her the puppy to give to Jack

After Abigail hands her the bassett hound puppy, she walks back to Jack and says to him;

"Okay Jack open your eyes" Elizabeth says as she hands Jack the puppy

Jack is speechless then says;

"Oh Elizabeth I love him. Thank you so much my dearest wife" Jack replies

" I knew you would, I know how much you loved RIP ,so I thought why not give my husband a new puppy to love and for our children to grow up with someday and Happy Valentine's Day my beloved Jack" Elizabeth responds

"wait did you say…children as in more than one, my dearest wife" Jack says

"Yes, my other surprise for you Jack is we are going to be having twins" Elizabeth says as she puts her hands on her growing belly which is now slowly protruding further out.

"Jack is speechless before saying;

"Are you sure it is twins, Elizabeth" Jack replies

"Of course Dr. Burns confirmed it for me when I went to Union City last week for a more thorough doctor's appointment" Elizabeth responds

"well I guess I will have to make another cradle and Toy chest then" Jack replies

After they finish their romantic evening at Abigail's they go home and spend a nice relaxing night together before going to bed for the night early so Elizabeth can get as much sleep as possible before having to go to school the next day. As they were getting ready to go to bed Jack says to Elizabeth;

"I am so happy we are going to have twins. I can't wait we certainly have been blessed so far" Jack says before he starts singing to their little ones and talking to them as he carefully kisses Elizabeth's growing belly before drifting off to sleep.


	12. ch12Getting the Students used to the sub

**Chapter 12: Getting the students used to the Sub**

 **One month later –Mar 1916**

Elizabeth was now six months, and she knew she would have to find the perfect sub for her class to take over for her next month until the end of the school segment and possibly for the first month or two of the new school year in the fall as starting next month Elizabeth would have to stay home as she awaits for her little ones to arrive in mid- June. She was thinking as her beloved husband Jack was carrying her school basket and walking her to school for the day. Today she plans on telling her students again what she told them two months ago to remind them. As soon as she gets to school Elizabeth puts up the first assignment for the day on the chalkboard as she waits for her students to arrive. As soon as her students arrive and find their seats she says;

" remember when I told you a few months ago I would be leaving to stay home for a while, and you will be having a sub, well that will be starting next month in about four weeks because I will be home caring for my own children for a short time . I will want you to be on your best behavior as tomorrow the sub will be here as I help her so she sees how we operate things in the classroom" Elizabeth tells her class

"we will be on our best behavior Mrs. Thornton, we promise" the children respond all at once

"I know you will, and I will miss you all when the time comes, but I will bring my children by to visit once they get here" Elizabeth tells her students

"you promise Mrs. Thornton" her students respond

"of course, I never break a promise do I" Elizabeth replies to her students

After she starts the lessons for the day and as her students work she thinks to herself, I hope I will be a good mother just like I am a good teacher to these children as she loses herself in her thoughts while sitting at her desk, while her students work on the assignment she had just assigned to them which was writing an essay about their favorite thing to do in the spring time was and why.

Meanwhile, when Jack was not working at the mill with Lee he spent his time making another cradle, another toy chest, and putting together all the other baby furniture and setting it up so that it could be all ready for when their twins arrived in just a few short months from now. Jack still could not believe it, he always knew he wanted to have kids with Elizabeth someday even before he fell in love with her five years ago. He also wanted to have a big family, but he did not know if he was up for the challenge of taking care of two kids at the same time, but he was up for any challenge that came his way. He knew he could overcome any challenge as long as it was with Elizabeth's help, just like they always have since they met and fell in love with each other. Their life together along the way always had changes they had to adjust too, but the biggest change of all was just beginning and he knew it would take them some time to adjust to the change of becoming parents. He knew they would support and help each other through the journey of starting parenthood together.

A little later that day while her students were eating lunch Elizabeth decided to run to the mercantile to check on the status of the second crib she had ordered last month after finding out she was having twins before going back to school. As soon as she got to the mercantile she asked Mr. Yost;

"has the baby crib I ordered last month come in yet " Elizabeth asks

"yes it did Mrs. Thornton, would you like me to deliver it after school" asked

"yes would you that would be great thank you" Elizabeth replies

Elizabeth then goes back to school to resume her afternoon lessons. The afternoon goes by quickly and pretty soon it is time for Elizabeth to dismiss her class for the day to go home. Just as she is cleaning up and putting her school items in her basket Jack her husband enters to escort her home like he has done for the past few months. She knows it is because he loves her and wants her to get home safely without harm since she is carrying their children and wants nothing to happen to either them or her which Elizabeth finds sweet and loving of him to care so much. As soon as they leave the school, Elizabeth says to Jack;

"I need to stop by the dress shop to ask Rosemary a favor" Elizabeth tells her husband

"Ok, take your time" Jack replies as they walk towards town.

As soon as they get to the dress shop Elizabeth enters and spots Rosemary and says;

" Rosemary, would you be willing to teach my class starting next month through May, and maybe possibly in the fall for the first month or two as I will have to start staying home to await the arrival of my twins in mid- June " Elizabeth ask Rosemary

"Of course, Elizabeth I would love to, and twins wow I am so happy for you and Jack" Rosemary replies

"Thank you and I would like you to start coming to school with me for the next couple of weeks to see how I do things, so you will know what to do when it is just you" Elizabeth replies

"Sure, I would love that" Rosemary responds, "see you tomorrow Elizabeth" she replies

After Elizabeth finishes her conversation with Rosemary she and Jack go home and spend a nice relaxing evening for the rest of the afternoon. Later Mr. Yost comes by and delivers the second crib Elizabeth had ordered. After a while Jack and Elizabeth then go to bed early.

The next day when Elizabeth got to school Rosemary was waiting for her so that for the next few weeks spend time with the children and learn from Elizabeth how things are done, so that when Elizabeth left next month on maternity leave Rosemary would be able to take control of the class on her own while following Elizabeth's school routine which Elizabeth would leave for her later on. Rosemary was eager to get started and she knew she would learn a lot from Elizabeth on how to teach as she observes and helps out for the next few weeks so the students could get used to having her there before Elizabeth left her on her own in just a few weeks. As soon as the students arrive and take their seats Elizabeth says to them;

"for the next few weeks Mrs. Coulter will be with us as she learns how I teach and when I leave in a month to take time off she will be your teacher until summer break and the start of fall when school starts again in Aug so I expect you to be good and listen to her and me" Elizabeth tells her students

"we will Mrs. Thornton" the children reply all at once

"now why don't we all welcome Mrs. Coulter" Elizabeth says

"good morning Mrs. Coulter" the children reply

"well thank you children. I am glad to be here" Rosemary tells Elizabeth class, " I look forward to working with you" Rosemary continues on

After Elizabeth finishes explaining why Rosemary is here along with her, she starts school for the day and encourages Rosemary to assist the students whenever she can.

 **A few weeks later**

For the past couple of weeks Rosemary started to get the hang of things so Elizabeth slowly started to let her start teaching the lessons, just a couple a day to see how much she had learned while observing Elizabeth teach. Elizabeth watches how Rosemary is doing and is impressed with how well the children are behaving and listening when Rosemary is teaching. Elizabeth tells Rosemary during lunch one day;

"when I leave next week I know my class will be in good hands with you while I am gone and I appreciate it so much Rosemary" Elizabeth says

"Of course Elizabeth anything to help out a friend" Rosemary replies

Elizabeth is grateful to Rosemary and who was willing to sub for her while she is on maternity leave. Pretty soon school is over for the day and Jack comes to pick her up to walk her home.

Later that night at home after they have had dinner and Elizabeth is making bedding for the other cradle Jack just finished making she tells him;

"I hope in a few months when our twins are born that I am up for the challenge" she says to Jack

"I am sure you are my dearest, if you can teach and be patient with 20 children, you are more than up for the challenge of taking care of our twins when they arrive. You will make a great mom because you are a great wife and can accomplish and overcome any challenge that comes your way" Jack responds.

"I sure hope so my beloved Jack and I know you will be a great father as well. I have seen you with Cody Stanton Abigail's adopted son doing boy activities with him. You are great with him, so I know you will be a great father to our little ones" Elizabeth replies

After a short while Jack and Elizabeth go upstairs to retire for the night and Jack does his nightly ritual of talking and singing to their little ones growing inside her while she rubs her growing belly. She loves that Jack does this and she finds it sweet and charming, which makes her fall in love with him over again each night before they drift off to sleep.


	13. Ch 13 Elizabeth takes leave-Baby Shower

**Chapter 13: Elizabeth takes leave/ Baby Shower**

 **April 1916**

At the end of this school week, which was the second week of April would be Elizabeth's last day in the classroom for a while as she was now seven months. Rosemary Coulter would be taking over for her and teaching the students for the next month before summer break, and she would then start the school year with them in Aug and sub for another two months or so in the fall. Elizabeth felt Rosemary was ready, so she let Rosemary teach the whole day for the past few days while only giving advice as the school day went along. Elizabeth had remembered to grab the lesson plans she had made months earlier to leave on the desk at the end of the week for Rosemary to have for the coming months, so she knew what to teach the children. Elizabeth knows it will be hard to leave her class and teaching for a while because of her soon to be born twins in about two months, but once she feels like she is ready to leave them and find childcare during the day once they are about few months old later in the fall Elizabeth plans on going back to teaching at least part time at first then eventually back to full time depending on the plans god has in store for her and Jack and their family as it grows eventually.

Meanwhile, Abigail Stanton Elizabeth's best friend and mayor of Hope Valley was secretly planning a surprise baby shower party for Elizabeth which would happen in a few weeks. She was recruiting all the women of Hope Valley to help contribute in making a special gift for Elizabeth as well as helping in planning and setting up as well. She knew Elizabeth was going to be very surprised because she would not be expecting this. Anytime one of the Hope Valley women came into the café Abigail told them about the shower, and not to say a word to Elizabeth about it at all. The only person Abigail told was Jack so he could bring Elizabeth when the time came, and was promised not to say a word about it to Elizabeth. He thought Abigail doing this for Elizabeth was such a great idea and sweet of her since he knew they were very close friends.

A little later that day at school after the children had lunch Elizabeth was getting ready to tell her class she would be leaving at the end of the week to start staying home. After all the children had taken their seats Elizabeth said to them;

"class remember when a few months ago I was going to be leaving, well at the end of this week will be my last day so I can stay home, but I will be back sometime in the fall" Elizabeth told her class

"do you have to leave so soon Mrs. Thornton" Robert asked

"yes I do Robert, but I will be back before you know it in the fall. I promise, and I will bring my children by so visit in a few months" Elizabeth replies "and I expect you all to be on your good behavior for Mrs. Coulter for the rest of the school year and when school starts again in the fall" Elizabeth continues

"yes, Mrs. Thornton we will" the children reply all at once

Elizabeth and Rosemary then continue to go on with the afternoon lessons.

 **A few days later-End of second week of April**

The day had come that would be Elizabeth's last day teaching before taking her maternity leave from school for a while. She was looking forward to welcoming her children to the world in a short few months, but was going to find it hard to leave her students who she loved teaching so much, but she knew Rosemary would do a good job taking over for her while she was on leave for the next five to six months to stay home to get ready for the twins and to care for them for a while. Before she knew it the school day was half over, so during lunch time Elizabeth had a small talk with Rosemary while the children were eating by saying;

"before I leave at the end of the day I will leave you a stack of lesson plans for the rest of the year and for the start of next school year in the fall" Elizabeth tells Rosemary

"thank you Elizabeth, I know I will find them helpful and I will follow them closely" Rosemary replies

"I know you will Rosemary" Elizabeth responds "and again thanks so much for taking over while I am gone, you are a great friend" Elizabeth continues.

Pretty soon lunch is over and it is onto the afternoon lessons which go by pretty fast. Before she knows it the day is over and Elizabeth tells her class bye before they go home and she officially takes her leave so she tells her class;

" before you leave, I just want to say, I will miss you all as today was my last day for a while, but I promise you the time will go by fast and I will be back" Elizabeth says to her students

"we will miss you too Mrs. Thornton" the children reply as they come up to her one by one to give her a hug as carefully as possible.

Then Elizabeth dismisses her class, hands Rosemary the folder of lesson plans she had prepared months ago, just as Jack comes to get Elizabeth to walk her home.

 **Two weeks later**

For the past few weeks Abigail had been planning a baby shower for Elizabeth and tomorrow would be the day she would surprise her friend along with the rest of the women Elizabeth had become friends with since she moved to Hope Valley formally coal valley five and half years ago. When Jack went to the café to grab some coffee before going to work Abigail told him;

"Jack don't forget tomorrow is the baby shower I am putting on for Elizabeth, would you mind bringing her around noon" Abigail asked

"of course Abigail, noon is perfect and I will pick her up after I finish my afternoon shift at the mill" Jack replied

"and remember don't say anything to her about it" Abigail responds, "just tell her I want to give her a special gift" Abigail continues

"of course, I won't spoil the surprise" Jack replies, "see you tomorrow Abigail" Jack continues on

After his conversation with Abigail, Jack leaves the café and heads to work.

 **Day of the Baby Shower**

Elizabeth was now halfway through her seventh month, and on leave from teaching. Rosemary had taken over for her about two weeks ago. She was getting ready for the arrival of her twins in just a couple of months. She had been putting away the baby clothes and other items in their places in the nursery and kitchen now that Jack had finished putting together everything and she made up the other cradle with the bedding and one of the knitted blankets she had made months ago. Elizabeth was now getting ready to go to Abigail's for lunch and spend time with her friend, since Jack her husband had come home last night and told her that Abigail had a special gift to give to her. What she did not know was that she was in for a big surprise, not only from Abigail, but all the other women of Hope Valley she had become friends with. As soon as she was ready Jack escorted her to Abigail's before going to work for the afternoon. At precisely noon Abigail opened the café's door and told Elizabeth to close her eyes as she led her towards the parlor to surprise her. As soon as she had helped Elizabeth sit down she told her;

"Ok Elizabeth you can open your eyes now" Abigail said

As soon as Elizabeth opens her eyes she is beyond speechless for about five minutes before saying;

"oh Abigail you're the best friend ever and the sweetest to throw a baby shower for me. I love it I truly do. I was not expecting this at all" Elizabeth replies

Abigail is so pleased that Elizabeth loves her surprise a lot so she and the others spend the afternoon with Elizabeth enjoying the shower and giving Elizabeth so many gifts for the babies. Elizabeth is so overwhelmed by the kindness and love her friends are showing and giving her right now. She is getting everything from stuffed animals, to books, to mobiles, and more for the babies. Finally Abigail hands her the special gift she and the other women made for her. She is given a heart patterned quilt/blanket and she is so emotional that she can hardly speak. Rosemary even hands her a stack of congratulations cards the student had made in class for her and that say things like ;Mrs. Thornton you will be a great mommy just like you are a great teacher to us, love Opal and more by the children. Elizabeth is truly grateful to live in such a great community as Hope Valley and she can't wait to raise her children with Jack here. She knows they will be loved on by all. Pretty soon Jack comes back to pick Elizabeth up and Abigail and Rosemary help them carry the presents Elizabeth was given as well so nothing gets left behind. As soon as they get home, Elizabeth shows Jack all the presents their friends gave her for the babies and the quilt she was given for herself and Jack also.

After such a long day and an overwhelming, yet happy one Elizabeth is tired and worn out. Elizabeth is excited for the coming months ahead so she wants to get as much sleep as she possibly can before the twins are born, since she won't get much once they arrive. She knows this because Abigail told her earlier today. Jack meanwhile, before joining Elizabeth for the night decides to build a shelf for the stuffed animals and the books that Elizabeth was given for the babies to put in the nursery, so he goes out to the barn to start. After a while he goes back inside and joins Elizabeth who had already drifted off to sleep a few hours before so he is as quit as he possibly can be as he gets ready to slide into bed with her.


	14. Ch14 Midnight Cravings and Weird Dreams

**Chapter 14: Midnight Cravings & Weird Dreams**

 **May 1916**

Elizabeth was now eight months in, and for the past few months has had some bizarre dreams and would wake up in the middle of the night sometimes to get a midnight snack or even during the day would ask Jack to go to the mercantile to get her something if they did not have it at home. One of Elizabeth's healthier craving of as late was that of having watermelon while on the dessert side it was anything chocolate or fresh baked pie.

One day when Abigail came to visit her to see how she was doing Elizabeth asked her;

"is it normal to be having weird and bizarre dreams while with child" she asked

"it is, when I was expecting my first son peter, I had weird dreams all the time" Abigail replied

"really, that makes me feel so much better thank you Abigail. I thought I was going crazy or something" Elizabeth responded

"no, you are not going crazy, it is just the pregnancy, which is making you have the dreams" Abigail replied.

So Elizabeth tells Abigail about one of her most recent dream she had been having.

 _Elizabeth's weird dream [as she tells it to Abigail]_

 _~I dreamed I was at school teaching and all of a sudden the area around me changes and is moving as if the school house is coming alive as if it were a living thing~_

As Elizabeth is talking to Abigail about this most recent dream Abigail tries to explain to her that having crazy and weird dreams is common during pregnancy and it is okay to have them. This made Elizabeth feel so much better.

After Abigail leaves, Elizabeth takes a short nap before craving one of her snack cravings of wanting to eat pie. Elizabeth is glad she had baked a pie the day before so she goes to the kitchen to grab a slice to eat. As she is eating Jack walks in and notices her eating dessert before dinner and asks her why;

"I got hungry and our twins were in the mood for me to have pie" Elizabeth tells Jack

"so that is why you are eating pie in the middle of the day" Jack replies

"Yes and I know I have asked you a few too many times to buy whatever I am in the mood to eat and I appreciate it my beloved. I hope it won't last for too much longer. I feel like I have been pregnant forever instead of just eight months" Elizabeth responds

"I know my dearest only one more month to go and before you know it out precious little ones will be here" Jack responds

After Elizabeth finishes her mid afternoon snack she decides to sit down and read a book for a while to pass the afternoon by and to keep herself busy in any way she can. She does now know how much longer she can stand waiting for the twins to get here and she hopes they come when scheduled which is in a month from now. One night after Elizabeth had gone to bed early, Jack went out to the barn to work late on finishing making the bookshelf for the nursery. At around midnight Elizabeth woke up hungry and twins were in the mood for her to eat some watermelon one of Elizabeth's favorite fruit to snack on and much healthier than the pie she had earlier today. While she was down in the kitchen cutting some up Jack comes back in from the barn and walks into the kitchen and is surprised to see Elizabeth up at such a late hour, so he asks;

"my love I thought you had gone to bed earlier, what are you doing up at this late hour" Jack asks his wife

"I got hungry and was craving some watermelon. Our little ones sure do know what I love to eat even when it is in the middle of the night" Elizabeth replies

"okay, I will wait until you are finished then we will go back to bed together" Jack responds

After Elizabeth finishes her midnight snack she and Jack go to bed for the rest of the night. As they are entering the bedroom Elizabeth says to Jack;

"I can't wait to meet our little ones in just a few weeks" Elizabeth says as she lovingly caresses her huge growing belly

"me either, my dearest Elizabeth, I already love our little ones so much and can't wait to finally meet them" Jack replies

They soon climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep for the rest of the night.

As the weeks of May went by Elizabeth starts to grow more and more restless as the days and weeks as the month of June gets closer and closer as well as her due date, but Elizabeth tries her best to occupy her time with other things that need to be done before the twins arrive like prepare the guest room for when her family comes to visit later next month, and other little things around the house. Her parents will be so surprised when they come visit that instead a meeting one grandchild they will be meeting two since she never told them it was twins since she wants to surprise them when they visit, same with Jacks mom her mother in law Charlotte who Elizabeth loves and gets along well with. Pretty soon before she knows it the month of May is over and June has started so Elizabeth hopes she can hold on for two more weeks.


	15. Ch15PreparingArrivaloftheThorntontwins

**Chapter 15: Preparing & the Arrival of the Thornton Twins**

 **June 1916**

It was finally June and Elizabeth was now nine months and was due in two weeks' time. Jack was helping her to prepare for the twins arrival by making sure they had everything they needed from diapers, formula for few months later, and just about everything else babies need and use. For the past couple of months everything Elizabeth did, just about anything was slower than normal since she had become pregnant, but she took her time and it too her some time to get used to doing it, but eventually everything got done at some point. Jack and Elizabeth did not know if they would have everything prepared and ready in the next two weeks both for the babies arrival, and later in the month for when Elizabeth's family and Jacks mother and brother come to visit to meet their grandchildren and nieces.

 **Two weeks later: June 15** **th** **1916**

The day of Elizabeth's due date had come. Everything was ready for the twins arrival. Jack had moved the cradles into their bedroom for the time being at least for a few months before they would move them back to the nursery. Jack and Elizabeth had also finished up the guest room, and one of the extra rooms as well for her family and his mother & brother for when they come and visit soon. Elizabeth was glad she did not have to worry about anything for now except impatiently wait for the twins to decide if they were ready to join the world and meet their parents. As the day went by, Elizabeth was growing restless as she waited for some sort of sign that something was going to happen soon. As she waited she told Jack;

"I wonder what is taking so long for our little ones to get here" Elizabeth said

"just be patient my love, I know you are getting impatient, but they will come when they are good and ready" Jack replied

"I know, I am just so anxious to meet them and welcome them to the world already" Elizabeth responds

Before she knows it the day has gone by and still no sign had appeared, so Jack and Elizabeth go upstairs to bed and drift off the sleep. Just before they do Jack sweetly kisses Elizabeth's enormous belly and says "your mommy and I are so anxious to meet you soon, hope you don't wait too long, it is driving your mommy insane waiting for you to come" as he is talking to their unborn twins growing inside Elizabeth before going to sleep. Around midnight Elizabeth was starting to become very uncomfortable, and could not go back to sleep then all of a sudden she felt something wet running down her legs and sharp pains in her stomach every 12 minutes. Then she comes to the conclusion that her water had broken. So she shakes Jack awake and says;

"go and get Dr. Carson and Faith quick Jack my water just broke, our little ones are on their way" Elizabeth says is a rush as another contraction comes.

"okay my love, just hold on tight" Jack replies

So Jack springs out of bed, pulls on some nice pants and a t-shirt and runs out to the barn grabs Sargent his horse and rides into town bareback to fetch Dr. Carson and nurse faith to bring them back to the house to help Elizabeth and deliver the babies. Jack rides as quick as he possibly can and knocks on Carson's and Faith's door to tell them what is going on:

"Dr. Carson, Faith you have to come to the house quick Elizabeth just told me her water broke. Also sorry about the lateness of the hour, but Elizabeth insisted I come get you right away" Jack says to Carson and Faith

"of course, Jack no worries, just let me get my bag and a few items I need from the infirmary and we will be right there" Dr. Carson replies

"of course" Jack responds before riding off to go back home to Elizabeth

After Carson and Faith grab what they need from the infirmary they both borrow a horse from the livery and ride off to Jacks place to help Elizabeth and deliver the babies. As soon as they arrive Jack shows them upstairs to where Elizabeth is. As soon as they enter the room, a look of relief comes to finally see Dr. Carson and Faith have arrive makes Elizabeth so happy. As soon as Carson examines Elizabeth to see how far along she is and asks her some questions he asks for Jacks assistance with a few things like changing the bed sheets and helping Elizabeth to get into the position as she gets ready to have the babies. They try to do everything as quick as possible. After about another hour Dr. Carson checks Elizabeth again and tells her she is ready and when he tells her to that she should push as hard as she can now;

"when I say the word get ready okay" Dr. Carson says

"okay" replies Elizabeth

With Jack holding her hand and on Carson's single Elizabeth pushes as hard as she can when the next contraction comes and within a few minutes she can hear

"waah., waah, waah" as Dr. Carson hands baby #1 over to Faith to clean up

"okay now one more time Elizabeth, you are doing great my Love" Jack says to his wife

Pretty soon Dr. Carson sees baby #2 and again tells Elizabeth the same thing as before, so Elizabeth pushes as hard as she can and finally

"waah, waah, waah" as Carson hands baby#2 to faith, who hands baby#1 over to Jack while Carson finishes up with Elizabeth and to make sure everything is good. He then says to both of them;

"Congratulations Jack and Elizabeth you have two beautiful twin girls" he says as Faith hands over baby#2 to Elizabeth.

"yes Congratulations Jack and Elizabeth" Faith says

Faith and Dr. Carson then pack up and leave and before they do Dr. Carson says'

"if you need anything Just come and get me" Carson says to Jack

"Thank you so much Carson and Faith" Jack replies

As soon as they leave the room Jack says to Elizabeth;

"you did such a fantastic Job sweetie and now we have two of the most adorable and cutest little girls" Jack says as he kisses Elizabeth on the check, "now what should we name them" he asks Elizabeth as he holds one and she holds the other

"I was thinking we should name them Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope as she nods her head towards the baby she is holding and the one her Husband is. I choose those names because I want our daughters to be named after both our Mothers and the middle names because we have always had Faith and Hope in our relationship and will continue to" Elizabeth responds

"I love those names my dearest and they are perfect. Charlotte Faith Thornton and Gracie Hope Thornton welcome home our precious bundles of joy, we your mommy and daddy are so happy you have come" Jack says as he is talking to the twins they are holding. Elizabeth smiles sweetly and lovingly at her husband as he is talking to their twins as he sits on the bed next to her as they each hold one of their precious twins who are wrapped in one of the knitted blankets each in a different color Elizabeth had knitted months ago, as well as a one piece outfit they had set aside earlier in the month at the ready along with diapers. Jack and Elizabeth spend a few more minutes holding the twins before Jack places each of them in the cradles sitting at the foot of the bed so Elizabeth can get some sleep and recuperate. As he is placing each of the twins in the cradle he tells Elizabeth;

"tomorrow I will paint their names on the toy chests I made now that we have named them' Jack says to his wife right before she nods off to sleep, and Jack gets back to sleep as well.


	16. Ch16 New Parents figuring out parenthood

**Chapter 16: New Parents Figuring Out Parenthood**

Jack and Elizabeth were blissfully happy that their twin daughters Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope had arrived late last night. They both know that it will take them some time to figure out their new roles of being parents to their newborn baby girls. They both know nothing about being parents, but since Elizabeth is a teacher both of them know that she should be able to pick up being a mother easily. A few hours after have given birth Elizabeth wakes up the next morning to the crying of their newborn daughters, so she tries to figure out what they need to be content again. This will be Elizabeth's first chance at trying to see what type of mothering skills she has to see if she can pick up being a mother is as easy as she finds teaching the children of Hope Valley is.

Elizabeth first picks up Charlotte Faith and she tries everything she can think of to try to calm her down from seeing if she is wet to singing and rocking her to sleep to seeing if she is hungry. Elizabeth figures out that they are hungry, but is not sure how to feed them since they can't eat solid food yet. Elizabeth also figures out Gracie Hope will be hungry as well and since they are twins will most likely be on the same schedule.

All through Elizabeth's attempts before she finally figured out what their daughters need, Jack wakes up to see if he can help out with the matter. Elizabeth is grateful to have such a dedicated husband who would do anything she asks, so when he offers to help out with the babies Elizabeth says to Jack;

"I have figured out Charlotte and Gracie must be hungry this morning, but I am unsure as to how to feed a newborn. Would you mind riding to go get Faith or Dr. Carson for me to see if they can help" Elizabeth asks her husband

"of course my dearest, I will go right away" Jack replies and he puts on some clothes as quickly as possible before going to get Sargeant his horse to find Faith or Carson to help Elizabeth out with her dilemma since they are new to being parents.

Pretty soon Jack comes back with nurse Faith to help Elizabeth out and to teach both of them what they need to know about taking care of two new borns' and their needs so they can get used to it before their families come to visit two weeks from now to meet the newest additions to the family. As Jack leads nurse Faith to where Elizabeth is with their daughters Jack says to his wife as they enter the room;

"Elizabeth I brought Faith, I am positive she can help you out and at the same time help both of us get used to caring for newborns as a routine since we will need to get used to it as it will be part of our new routine as a family from now on" Jack tells his wife

"thank you my beloved Jack, you are the best. I don't know what I would do without you by my side as we go through this new chapter in our lives together and as a family" Elizabeth replies

After thanking Jack for going to fetch Faith they get started and informed on how to care for their daughters from nurse faith.

As soon as nurse Faith arrives at the Thornton home to help assist Elizabeth and Jack on how to provide and care for their newborn twins they get started from the minute Elizabeth says to her;

"I know my precious baby girls are hungry but I can't seem to figure out how to feed them Faith, what should I do" Elizabeth asks her

After Elizabeth explains her dilemma to Faith, they get started and Faith instructs and shows Elizabeth how to feed the twins since they are not old enough for formula yet. First Faith says to Elizabeth;

"hold Charlotte or Gracie like you are rocking them and close to your chest so that they are able to get to the source of the milk" Faith says, " and let them attach themselves, it may hurt a little but you will be fine and will get used to it quickly" Faith continues

"ok, Faith am I doing it right" Elizabeth says as she indicates the position she is holding Charlotte in who is feeding at the moment.

"yes, that is correct" Faith says as Jack is nearby watching in case he will be needed for something.

After Charlotte finishes feeding and Gracie who is fed next. Faith then says;

"now they need to be burped" Faith instructs

So Faith says to both Jack and Elizabeth who are each holding one of the twins tells them

"hold the babies against your shoulders and pat them on the back until they feel better and make sure you have a rag on your shoulder at all times as they spit or dribble" Faith says

Jack and Elizabeth follow Faiths instructions as she narrates them. Elizabeth is a little nervous that she will do something wrong or hurt the baby by doing it too hard as they are doing this, but Faith told her it would be alright as it is natural for babies to do this to get everything out of their systems before being placed back in their cribs or cradle to nap or sleep or play with toys etc..

Faith then said; "they will need to be feed at least four to six times a day and burped after each time at the start, so you will be tired for a few months as babies usually wake up in the middle of the night to be fed and usually cry as well to be fed when hungry until they are able to eat solid foods at around six months of age or so" Faith says to Jack and Elizabeth.

"also, they will need to be changed multiple times a day. Usually you will be able to feel it or smell it when you pick them up and they will cry out most likely will happen at least an hour or two after being fed" Faith says, "don't worry you will get into this new routine quickly, it will just take some time and corporation with yourself, each other and the twins, you just have to have patience and pretty soon it will become a normal, regular schedule and your new normal as a family" faith tells Jack and Elizabeth as she goes on

"Thank you Faith, we appreciate all your help and for teaching us. I don't know what I would have done without your help" Elizabeth replies

"No problem, Elizabeth I know it is all new to you" Faith says, "you will get the hang of it soon enough" Faith replies

Faith then leaves and Elizabeth says to Jack;

"we are so lucky to have Faith in Hope Valley to help, aren't we my beloved" Elizabeth tells Jacks

"we sure are, my dearest" Jack replies

After Jack and Elizabeth finish taking care of the twins needs for the morning they go downstairs to eat their own breakfast. As they are eating Elizabeth says to Jack;

"taking care of a baby is a lot of work and time. I did not think there was so much involved to caring for them. I hope I get used to it pretty quickly" Elizabeth says to Jack

"I am sure you will my dearest Elizabeth, just have patience and give yourself time to adjust to being a new mother just like I have to adjust being a new father, but our baby girls will grow to be happy, healthy, and loved by us for sure and by our friends as well. We are lucky to live in such a great community as Hope Valley" Jack replies

"I know and I am sure I will I just hope I don't make any major mistakes with our girls as they grow, but I guess I will learn for the next time we have a baby . I know we both want to have a big family, but maybe once the girls are older" Elizabeth replies

"I know my dearest, but it will be up to god as to when he wants us to have more kids" Jack replies

Throughout the rest of the day anytime one of the twins would cry it took Elizabeth a few tries to figure out what they needed. She soon figured out each cry symbolized a different need from being fussy to needing changing to needing to be fed. By the end of the day Elizabeth was worn out and when Jack got home he noticed she was tired so he offered to make dinner which Elizabeth accepted. As they ate Elizabeth said to Jack;

"I never knew taking care of babies was so tiring" Elizabeth says

"I know, why don't you let me take over for a while so you can get some sleep until it is time to feed them later tonight" Jack replies

"really, are you sure you are up to the task my beloved" Elizabeth says

"I am, we are a team in this my dearest" Jack replies

"thank you, have I told you lately you are the best and most supportive husband ever" Elizabeth responds

"Yes, almost every day, now why don't you go and get some rest my dearest, you need it" Jack responds

So Elizabeth goes upstairs to lay down for a bit while Jack looks after their baby girls for a while so she can rest and get her energy back for the next day to repeat the day over again.

 **Two weeks later**

Jack and Elizabeth's twins were now two weeks old and they were finally getting the hang of caring for them and had established a new normal day to day routine that mostly revolved around their twin girls. They were glad they had figured it out and were on a schedule as their families would be arriving tomorrow by train to visit and meet the babies, which they did not know, but Jack and Elizabeth were ready to surprise them when they arrive. Elizabeth's parents had sent them a telegram last week about when to expect them and so did Jacks mom and brother. It was a good thing the guest room and one of the spare unused room were all ready and in order. After they had received the telegram Jack said;

"if it is too much trouble to take the twins along to meet the train at the station I can just always pick up our relatives myself while you stay home with them" Jack says to his wife

"would you, that would be a big help and I can make sure everything is ready and that way we can surprise them as well" Elizabeth replies

"that is a great idea my dearest" Jack responds

Jack and Elizabeth were glad that their families were coming to visit and to meet the newest additions to the family. They could not wait to see the reactions on their relatives' faces when they find out Jack and Elizabeth had twins. They were ready and hoped they could handle visiting family and caring for the twins at the same time. It would be a challenge they knew, but if they can handle twins they could handle just about anything.


	17. Ch17TheThatchersThorntonsvisit HV

**Chapter 17: The Thatchers and Thorntons Visit Hope Valley**

Jack and Elizabeth's families were due to arrive on the four o'clock train later today. This would be the first time the two week old twins Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope would be meeting their grandparents, their uncle, and their aunt. Jack and Elizabeth were ready and set for their arrival. Elizabeth decided to get a head start on preparing dinner so that later she would be able to spend time visiting with her family. It was also a good time as well to prepare the meal since the twins were asleep upstairs contently. Elizabeth was glad Jack had offered to pick everyone up at the station when the train stopped while she stayed home to perfect the last few things to make their visit perfect.

 _ **Earlier this morning- In Hamilton**_

Elizabeth's parents William and Grace Thatcher and her younger sister Julie were finishing up packing their luggage for their trip to visit Elizabeth and her husband Jack in Hope Valley. They were excited to finally meet the baby, but what they did not know was they were in for a special surprise. Across town Tom and his mother Charlotte Thornton Jacks brother and mother were doing the same thing. Both families would be visiting Hope Valley and to meet the little ones which they did not know. They had to hurry or they would miss their departure as I was a long train ride to Hope Valley. The Thatcher's were excited to finally be able to visit where their middle daughter had decided to make her life since she loved it so much over there.

 _ **Later in The Day- In Hope Valley**_

Back in Hope Valley Jack was just finishing his shift for the day at the sawmill with just enough time to go home to get cleaned before meeting their families at the train station. As soon as he got off he went straight home. As soon as he walked in the door Elizabeth said;

"what are you doing home, I thought you were picking up our families at the station" Elizabeth says to Jack

"I will, but I have enough time to get washed up after a long day at work at the mill, before heading there, don't worry I won't be late" Jack replies

"okay, just checking" Elizabeth replies

"I know my dearest, don't worry everything will be fine, just finish dinner" Jack responds

Pretty soon Jack is finished washing up and heads to the train station to pick up their relatives whose train arrives in twenty minutes. As Jack is waiting for the train to arrive he is wondering and thinking to himself that his mom and brother will get along with Elizabeth's parents and sister Julie so they can all spend having a good visit while they are in town. Pretty soon the four o clock train pulls into the station and right on time. Jack waits patiently on the platform for the passengers to get off and then waves to make sure Elizabeth's father who he has met twice before and hi mom know where he is so they can locate him on the crowded platform at the station. After everyone makes their way to where he is standing Jack introduces the Thatchers to his mom and brother while he puts their luggage in the wagon he has borrowed just for this occasion since nothing else would be big enough to hold all of them on the ride to the house he has built for him and Elizabeth and the start of their own family.

Elizabeth meanwhile while she waits for Jack to return with their relatives had just finished making dinner which she is keeping warm in the oven for a little later, so she goes upstairs to dress the twins up nicely to meet their uncle, aunt, and grandparents. Just as she is finishing up Jack enters the room and says;

"are you ready to introduce the girls to our family my love, they are waiting downstairs" Jack says

"yes my beloved, just give me a minute" Elizabeth replies as she finishes up with Gracie Hope

Jack and Elizabeth both pick up one of the girls and make their way downstairs to their families with Elizabeth leading the way. As soon as she enters the sitting room she says;

"mother, father, Julie, Tom and Charlotte. I would like you all to meet your niece and granddaughter Gracie Hope Thornton and your other niece and granddaughter Charlotte Faith Thornton" Elizabeth says as she moves aside to let Jack enter the room with their other daughter

"oh my, twins Elizabeth" Julie replies surprised, "how lovely sister" she continues on

"twins, wow this certainly is a surprise Elizabeth we certainly were not expecting this" William Thatcher says

"I know father it was a surprise for us as well" Elizabeth replies

"my Jack, they certainly are adorable and you named them after me and Mrs. Thatcher how sweet" Charlotte Thornton responds

"are you sure you are up to the task of caring for twins Elizabeth" Grace Thatcher asks

"yes mother I am sure, how much different can it be from teaching twenty children" Elizabeth responds

"Jack, twins glad for you, way to go brother" Tom Thornton says

After Jack and Elizabeth finish introducing their twins to their family Jack shows them to their indicated rooms where they will be staying and says;

"I will let you get settled then dinner should be ready soon" Jack says, "just come down when you are done" he finishes.

Charlotte is the first one back downstairs, so while she has the moment alone with Elizabeth and Jack she says;

"Lizzie, I am so happy for both you and Jack and finally starting your own family. I am so proud of you. I can certainly tell parenthood agrees with both of you and the twin girls are just precious" Charlotte says

"Thank you Charlotte, that is so thoughtful of you to say" Elizabeth replies

"yes, thanks Ma, much appreciated " Jack replies

Pretty soon the rest of the extended family joins them downstairs and they get ready to eat dinner that Elizabeth had made. As she is serving the plates Elizabeth hopes her parents like what she has made as this will be the first time she has cooked for her parents and her sister. After they finish eating Elizabeth asks;

"well how did you like dinner, Father, Mother, and Julie" Elizabeth says

"it was lovely, did your cook make it" Grace Thatcher asks

"no, mother we don't have a cook, I made it myself" Elizabeth replies

'really, I did not know you knew how to cook" William Thatcher says

"you will be surprised at what I can do father and mother since I have lived in Hope Valley. I do everything myself, it is just the way of life out here and I like doing my own work and household things" Elizabeth responds

"that is great Elizabeth. I am glad, one needs to be able to do certain tasks for themselves to survive" William Thatcher replies

After dinner ends Jack and Elizabeth's family spend some time holding, loving on, and getting to know the twins before they go to bed for the evening after the long train ride they had to town.

As the week goes on Elizabeth can tell her parents and Jacks mom seem to be taking the role of being grandparents fairly well. Elizabeth is glad to have them here and getting to know their granddaughters as much as they can before they leave at the end of the week to go back to Hamilton. Jacks mom was also getting to know the twins as well before she had to leave to go back home and was extremely happy for her and Jack on finally having a family and that her oldest son was safe from harms way finally since her husband had been taken on the Job as a Mountie when Jack was younger. She is happy that Jack had decided to leave so he could be with his family and be around for them which Charlotte had told this to Elizabeth a little earlier and she had agreed. Pretty soon the week came to an end and it was time for Jack and Elizabeth's relatives to leave Hope Valley to go back home, but Elizabeth was glad they had enjoyed their visit, meeting the twins ,and could not wait to spoil them at Christmas when they come again.


	18. Ch18 Elizabeth takes twins for a visit

**Chapter 18: Elizabeth takes the twins for a visit**

 _ **Two Months later-Aug 1916**_

Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope, Jack and Elizabeth's twins were now two months old. School was going to start again tomorrow so Elizabeth decided she would surprise her class by bringing the twins to visit during recess time for a short bit, since she had promised she would before she had left to stay home. In another two months Elizabeth would go back to teaching at least part time as long as Rosemary agrees to it.

 _ **New School year starts**_

The day of the new school year was here. The day before Elizabeth went to find Rosemary to let her know she would come and visit with the children and bringing the twins with her during the lunch hour. Rosemary was willing to let her and both of them knew the children would be happy to see Elizabeth. On this particular morning after feeding the twins, making breakfast for herself and Jack and doing a few other things Elizabeth got ready to prepare the twins who were now sleeping in the nursery still in the cradles Jack had moved back in there for their first outing and to introduce them to the children she teaches. Elizabeth gets out the double stroller and places the girls in it and sets off for the walk to the school house a little before she knew the children would be let go for lunch/ recess time. As soon as she got within seeing distance of the school, the children were already outside and the first one to spot her was Emily who said;

"Mrs. Thornton, what are you doing here, are you coming back to school" Emily asks

"No, not yet Emily, I just came by to see how you all are doing and to introduce you to my little girls, just like I said I would before I left" Elizabeth tells Emily

"when will you be back" Emily replies

"In two more months Emily I promise" Elizabeth replies, "now why don't you go grab the rest of the class and I will introduce you to my little girls alright Emily" Elizabeth continues on

"Yes, Mrs. Thornton I will be right back" Emily says as she leaves to go gather the rest of her classmates.

As soon as Emily comes back with the rest of her classmates to where Elizabeth is waiting with her daughters, the first thing and all simultaneously the children ask Elizabeth is;

"when are you coming back to school Mrs. Thornton, we all miss you" the children say

"I know you do. I am just visiting today and to introduce you to my little girls, just like I promised I would" Elizabeth tells the children, "but I will be back to school in two months from now" she continues

"yay, we can't wait to see your little babies" Opal says

Elizabeth then tells her class to gather around the stroller in small groups one at a time and to be very quiet then she says;

"class I would like you to meet my little girls Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope my twins" Elizabeth tells the children

"aww, they are so cute" Opal and Emily say at the exact same time.

"they are so tiny" Robert says

"do you like being a mommy" Opal asks Elizabeth

"I do opal, just as much as I love teaching all of you" Elizabeth replies

As the children are loving on her twins Elizabeth has a short conversation with Rosemary when she walks over and says to her;

"Rosemary, how are the children behaving in class. I hope they have not been too much trouble" Elizabeth asks

"they aren't too much trouble at all, they have been well behaved" Rosemary replies

"thanks, also if it is okay with you I plan on coming back part time in two months if that is okay with you. I just want to do the mornings then after you can continue until I find the right time to continue full time" Elizabeth asks

"are you sure Elizabeth" Rosemary asks

"I am, I feel like I can leave the twins for a short time, they will be old enough, I will just have someone look after them for me or ask Jack to arrange his schedule so he can stay home with them in the mornings and work later in the afternoon at the mill" Elizabeth replies

After Elizabeth finishes her conversation with Rosemary and introduces her to the twins as well, she takes the twins to visit Abigail and to ask her for a favor before going home.

As soon as Elizabeth arrives at the café with the twins in their stroller and finds a table Abigail comes over and says to Elizabeth;

"it's nice to see you finally out of your house Elizabeth, is there a reason why you came today" Abigail asks

"yes, I came to ask you a favor and to introduce you to my twin girls" Elizabeth replies

"twins, really Elizabeth that is great I know you told me Jack wants to have a big family. How are you enjoying motherhood so far" Abigail asks

"I am loving it Abigail, more than I thought I would. The reason I came though is I came to ask a favor" Elizabeth responds

"Anything I can do to help I will be happy to" Abigail replies

"really, thanks Abigail you are a great friend because I am planning on going back to teaching part time in two months in the mornings and I will need someone to watch the twins" Elizabeth replies

"Of course Elizabeth I would be happy to look after the twins, I would love to meet them. You can just call me Aunt Abigail" Abigail replies

"Thank you Abigail. They are easy going" Elizabeth responds as she indicates her head towards the stroller where they are to Abigail who walks over to take a look.

"oh, Elizabeth they are just adorable. You and Jack did a great job and you both must love them a lot" Abigail responds

"we do and Jack is just a loving husband and a great father" Elizabeth replies

After Elizabeth finishes her conversation with Abigail she and the twins walk back home and Elizabeth starts to plan lessons for when she goes back to teaching two months from now. She is glad Abigail has agreed to look after the twins and to Rosemary for continuing to sub in the afternoons still while she teaches in the mornings until she feels like she can leave the twins all day to go back full time later on. She does not know when yet, but Elizabeth is looking forward to going back to teaching at least part time for the time being in October.


	19. Ch19 Elizabeth returnes to teaching

**Chapter 19: Elizabeth Returns To Teaching Part-Time**

 _ **October 1916**_

Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope were now four months old and were now partly on using formula as well at feeding times. Elizabeth now felt like she could go back to teaching at least part time now and would start tomorrow and she could not wait. Elizabeth had missed her students so much and she knew they had missed her as well. As she is packing the twins bags with the necessaries for tomorrow for Abigail who was going to watch them until after lunch time just as Jack comes into the nursery and asks her;

"are you excited to get back to teaching tomorrow my dearest Elizabeth" Jack says

"yes my beloved, I am I have missed the children so much" Elizabeth responds

After she finished packing the diaper bags for each of the girls Elizabeth puts everything she will need for tomorrow in own basket and puts everything with the stroller by the front door to be ready for tomorrow.

Back to School

The day of Elizabeth returning to teaching has come and she is so happy. As soon as she wakes up, feeds the twins, makes breakfast for her and jack, prepares formula for the twins later for Abigail, and dresses the twins after she is ready to go. Elizabeth places the bottles in the diaper bags and places the twins in the stroller, picks up her basket and sets off for Abigail's to drop off the girls for the morning before heading to school on her first day back to teaching after having the twins. As soon as she gets to the café she tells Abigail;

"thank you again for watching the twins for me this morning, everything you will or might need are in their bags and I put in bottles of formula if they get hungry. I will be back after lunch time to come pick them up" Elizabeth says to Abigail as she kisses the girls on the forehead before heading to the school.

As soon as Elizabeth gets to the school house and up the stairs to go inside and she immediately goes to the chalkboard and writes what she wants to teach this morning to her students, so she could know what they have been up to while she had been at home since April waiting and taking care of her twins. She could not wait to see the surprise looks on the faces of the students she loves so much when they see her back at school this morning. Rosemary would come in after lunch to teach in the afternoon since Elizabeth was just going to be back in the mornings for now since her twins were still young and she could only spend a few hours away from them as of now. Pretty soon the children were in the school yard and as soon as Elizabeth rang her precious cow bell Jack had given her four and half years ago, all the children rushed up the stairs and when they saw Elizabeth they said;

"are you back to school Mrs. Thornton" the children all said at once

"yes, but just for the morning for right now, Mrs. Coulter will be with you still in the afternoons for the next few months" Elizabeth replies

"yay, glad you are back Mrs. Thornton we have missed you" Emily said

"I know and I have missed you all and I am glad to be back" Elizabeth replies

As soon as all the children take their seats Elizabeth gives out her first assignment to her class as she says;

"this morning I would all like you to write me a short essay about your summer and what Mrs. Coulter has been teaching you since I left" Elizabeth says to her class

"why Mrs. Thornton" Robert asks

"because I need to be able to know what I need to catch you all up on anything" Elizabeth replies

So the students get to work on writing their short essays to give to Mrs. Thornton for later.

Meanwhile at the café Abigail was enjoying taking care of Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope for Elizabeth for the morning while she was at school. She loved having them around and getting to know them. Just like Elizabeth had told her they were easy going and were not fussy at all. Abigail was enjoying looking after them and enjoyed having babies around the house again.

Meanwhile at the school house Elizabeth was glad to be back in the classroom teaching the towns children. Before she knew it the morning had passed by and soon it would be lunch time and after Elizabeth would leave to go home for the rest of the day after picking up the twins at Abigail's. Pretty soon it was lunch time, and as soon as the children finished lunch and had come back inside Rosemary comes to take over for the afternoon teaching, so before leaving Elizabeth says to her class;

"now class, Rosemary will be taking over for the rest of the day for the next few months, but I will be back in the morning" Elizabeth tells her class

"why Mrs. Thornton, you just came back, do you have to leave so soon" the children say all at once

"yes, my daughters need me, I can only leave them for so long at this time, it will just be for a couple more months" Elizabeth replies

After Elizabeth finishes telling her class why she will be only teaching in the mornings she picks up her basket and leaves Rosemary to it along with the afternoon lessons on the desk and sets off to Abigail's to pick up the twins.

As soon as Elizabeth arrives right after lunch to Abigail's to pick up the twins, she asks her;

"Abigail, I hope the twins have not been too much trouble for you this morning while I was at school" Elizabeth asks

"of course not Elizabeth they were no trouble at all. In fact they were perfect angles all morning" Abigail replies; "and they just finished the bottles you packed this morning" she continues on

"that is good, that means they should be content for a while so I have the chance to look over the essays I had my students write to see what damage Rosemary has done to see if I have to backtrack to get the students back on track" Elizabeth replies

"so how was it being back in the classroom again Elizabeth" Abigail asks

"I was extremely glad to be back. I missed it a lot and the children were certainly glad to see me" Elizabeth replied

"I am sure they were, they love you so" Abigail responds

After Elizabeth finishes her conversation with Abigail she goes and gets the twins who are sleeping in their stroller and walks home to start looking over the essays her students have written for her this morning.

After reading the essays Elizabeth plans out her lessons and is surprised that Rosemary actually followed her plans she had left for her when she took her leave back in April. Just as she is finishing the last plan for lessons for the week the twins wake up needing to be changed so Elizabeth tends to them then starts on making dinner for herself and Jack just as he is coming home from the sawmill. The first thing Jack asks Elizabeth is;

"so my dearest, how was it to be back at school this morning teaching your students this morning" Jack asks

"it was great, I am glad to be back teaching my students. I missed them so much while I was on leave for the past six months here at home" Elizabeth replies

"that is great Elizabeth my love, I bet the children were excited to see you back" Jack says

"they certainly were, and I was happy to be back" Elizabeth responds before going back to working on making dinner

While Elizabeth finishes making dinner Jack goes and gets washed up before looking in on his precious little girls Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope before heading back downstairs to spend a quit lovely evening with Elizabeth and hopefully without any interruptions from the twins who have been good about sleeping through the night recently which both Jack and Elizabeth are thankful for. As they eat they begin to discuss the possibility of having more kids and Elizabeth says;

"maybe when the twins are over a year old, then we can since I am still nursing them twice a day" Elizabeth replies

"ok, my love" Jack responds

After they finish eating and cleaning up they both go upstairs to cuddle up in bed for the rest of the night.


	20. Chapter 20 First Family Christmas

**Chapter 20: First Family Christmas**

 _ **December 1916**_

Jack and Elizabeth's twin daughters Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope were now six months old and this would be the Thornton's first official family Christmas. The twins were getting so big that Jack and Elizabeth had moved them to the cribs about two months ago since they were too big for the cradles now that Jack had made, so he put them into storage in the barn for next time. Also, Jack had started working on making the girls first Christmas presents out in the barn the previous month. Jack was making his little girls rocking horses and he had carefully planned out the process of making them. Elizabeth along with Rosemary were busy planning a Christmas concert with the children of Hope Valley to perform for their parents and for the town as well. Elizabeth's family would also be coming for Christmas as well from Hamilton to help and enjoy the twins first Christmas. Both Jack and Elizabeth wanted to make the twins first Christmas as memorable as possible even though they were only six months old and were not trying to figure out how to talk yet.

Meanwhile in Hamilton Elizabeth parents and Sister Julie were getting ready to pack for Hope Valley and doing Christmas shopping for the twins and for Jack and Elizabeth as well to bring with them to give to them for Christmas. They only had a few days left before they were to leave for Hope Valley as Christmas was only seven days away and they wanted to arrive at least before Christmas Eve and to see the Christmas concert Elizabeth had written to them about that the children of the town were going to put on. They could not wait to enjoy their time and to see how big their granddaughters have grown since the end of June when they were last in Hope Valley just two weeks after they had been born.

 _ **Two weeks earlier- Hope Valley**_

At the start of the month Elizabeth had told her class about the Christmas concert that she had started planning and she said;

"this year for our Christmas program we will be putting on a Christmas concert two to three weeks from now, and three days before Christmas for the town, and I will assign each of you in partners the song you will be singing. Mrs. Coulter will be directing and I will help. We will practice every day for the next few weeks so make sure you practice at home as well" Elizabeth tells her class

"Yay, but why does Mrs. Coulter have to be directing us Mrs. Thornton" Cody asks

"Because Cody, Mrs. Coulter is very talented and can help you all improve your singing voices if you let her so you can be better and to impress your parents" Elizabeth replies

"okay Mrs. Thornton" All the children say at once

" Now Emily and Cody you will be singing the song _Amazing Grace_ , Opal and Phillip your song will be _We Wish You A Merry Christmas,_ Hattie and Robert your song is _The Twelve Days of Christmas,_ Timmy and Laura your song is _O Christmas Tree"_ Elizabeth says as she continues to assign songs to pairs of students "I will hand you copies of the lyrics to the songs at the end of the day so you can get on practicing them, so by the time the concert comes around you should have all your songs memorized " Elizabeth continues on

"yes Mrs. Thornton, we will" the children say all at once

As soon as Elizabeth finishes assigning partners and songs they go on with their lessons for the rest of the day. Elizabeth leaves after lunch as usually to go home and she finds copies of each song and makes copies at the newspaper office then goes back to school near end if the day to pass out the songs to the students so they can get to studying and memorizing.

 _ **Two to Three weeks later**_

Elizabeth's class had been working hard rehearsing for the Christmas concert and she was proud of all of them and she knew they would be ready to perform it tomorrow night which was the day before Christmas Eve. She and Jack were also preparing for the arrival of her family later today from Hamilton on the four o clock train since they were to spend Christmas with them and she would pick them up at the station along while having the twins with her and after spending some much needed friend time with Abigail. At ten minutes till four Elizabeth arrives at the train station with the twins who are sleeping in their stroller as she waits for the train to arrive from Hamilton. Pretty soon the four o'clock train pulls into the station and Elizabeth waits as the passengers get off before scanning the crowd for her parents and sister. As soon as Elizabeth spots her parents she gives them a wave to make sure they know she is there to pick them up. As soon as Elizabeth's parents spot her they make their way over to her and see that she has the twins with her and her Mother Grace says;

"wow, Elizabeth the girls have gotten so big since we saw them in late June/ early July, and they are now what, Six months old now is that right" Grace Thatcher asks

"yes, mother and they have gotten bigger haven't they. They seem to be growing bigger everyday to me it seems like" Elizabeth replies

"before you know it, they will be talking and walking and soon starting school" William Thatcher says

"I know, both Jack and I are loving every milestone they have been through so far and we love them so much and are hoping to have more kids once they are closer to two years of age" Elizabeth says

'that is wonderful Elizabeth, I know you and him want a big family, you certainly have to room in that nice house of your Jack built, he told us this the last time we were here" Grace Thatcher responds

They continue their conversation as they walk with Elizabeth to her house where they will be staying again. Once they get to the house Jack welcomes them back and says;

"we are so happy you could come ad spend Christmas with us and the twins for their first one" Jack says

"we are glad we are here as well" William Thatcher responds

They then spend the rest of the evening catching up with Elizabeth and playing with the twins who are enjoying the attention so much.

 _ **The Christmas Concert**_

The day of the childrens Christmas concert was here. Elizabeth was so proud of her class for working so hard at practicing their songs during school time and at home. She knew the parents would be proud once they heard them. The concert was going to start soon so she went to the school house to set up. Her parents, sister and Jack would be coming to the concert with the twins later on. Elizabeth's parents could not wait to see her class perform. They knew the towns children loved her and they could tell when they had come to town for the wedding about a little over a year ago. Pretty soon the children started to arrive to get ready and were so excited for performing for the parents and the rest of the town. Pretty soon the parents and the rest of the town arrived and got seated. Once everyone was Elizabeth addressed the audience and says;

"I am so glad you all came tonight, the children have been practicing so hard and are excited to perform for you with our very own Rosemary Coulter playing the piano as the children sing, so without further ado let the concert begin" Elizabeth says

After Elizabeth finishes her introduction all the kids start to line up and the concert begins as the first set of students sing their assigned song. As the concert goes on the parents as well as Elizabeth's family are really enjoying it are very impressed with the children. Pretty soon the concert is over and Elizabeth concludes by saying;

"Thank you for attending. I hope you all enjoyed the special Christmas concert, enjoy the rest of your Christmas holiday and I will see you all in January and I will be back full time teaching" Elizabeth says to her class before everyone leaves to go home.

 _ **Christmas Day 1916**_

It was finally Christmas day and it was the twins Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope's first Christmas, and even though they were only six months old, Elizabeth and Jack were going to make this a Christmas they would remember for both themselves and for them. The night before Jack with Elizabeth's fathers help carried in the rocking horses he had made for the girls and placed them under their tree with ribbons wrapped around the handles. The twins were also starting their first attempts at eating and tasting soft foods out if jar like baby applesauce. Elizabeth on this particular morning decided to make a special Christmas breakfast for her family to surprise them. As soon as she was done Jack came down the stairs holding one of the twins followed by Julie the twins aunt who was holding the other and they placed them in their highchairs and as Jack was doing this he asked Elizabeth;

"what is all this my dearest" Jack asks indicating the food she had started placing on the table

"I thought I would wake up early to make a special Christmas morning breakfast as part of making our daughters' first Christmas special and for my family as well" Elizabeth replied

"that is so sweet" Jack responds

Pretty soon the rest of Elizabeth's family joins them as they enjoy the nice breakfast of Eggs, bacon, toast, fresh fruit and more. After they finish eating, Jack goes up stairs to fetch his camera so he can take pictures of his daughters enjoying their first Christmas gifts. After Jack comes back with the camera it was time to open presents. Jack and Elizabeth got a nice set of China dishes from her parents as a late wedding gift , her parents gave the twins monogramed blankets with their names, Julie gave Elizabeth a nice hate and Jack a tie . For the twins Julie gave them a stuffed bear each, Jack gave the rocking horses he made to his girls, while Elizabeth had made them matching dresses. To her parents and Julie she gave them scarves she had made as well as to Jack. Elizabeth was happy her family was getting to experience their granddaughters first Christmas with them. She could have not asked for a more loving family, and she loved them a lot for coming to spend Christmas with them as it just made the Holiday that much more special as a family Christmas in Hope Valley.


	21. Chapter 21 A Brand New Year

**Chapter 21: A Brand New Year**

 **January 1917**

Jack and Elizabeth's twins were now almost seven months old and Elizabeth now felt like that when school started again in one week she would be going back full time now that they were eating baby food part time. They would now be spending the whole day with Abigail who was happy to do the job while Elizabeth went back to teaching all day. Elizabeth and Jack have also started to encourage the girls to start learning simple words like mama and dada. It helped that Elizabeth was a teacher and she wanted her children to start learning some skills as early as possible. One afternoon Elizabeth was with the twins when all of a sudden Jack walks in from the barn just as Charlotte faith says" dada", this causes Jack to stop I his tracks and says to Elizabeth;

"did our little angle just say what I thought she said" Jack asks

"dada" charlotte repeats

"I heard it again" Jack says

"Yes she did, our little charlotte just said dada. I can't believe it" Elizabeth replies, "she sure is smart" Elizabeth continues on

"mama" Gracie says as Elizabeth is talking to Jack

"Elizabeth, did you just hear what our little Gracie said" Jack asks

"mama" Gracie says

"She just did it again" Jack says

"I heard it that time, our little precious angles sure are smart" Elizabeth replies

"yes they are, just like their Mother is" Jack responds

"Oh Jack that is so sweet of you to say my beloved" Elizabeth responds

After spending a little more time playing with the twins Elizabeth prepares dinner for them and spending a nice relaxing evening with Jack.

 _ **Elizabeth returns full time to teaching**_

The new school semester of the new year was starting tomorrow and it would be Elizabeth's first full day back teaching and she could not wait. It was also going to be the twins first time staying with Abigail all day as well. She knew Abigail was more than capable of caring for them now that they were learning to eat more solid like foods. Elizabeth was just finishing up writing lesson plans for the week, she could not wait to hear what her students had done over the Christmas holiday. After she finished planning for the week Elizabeth got started on making dinner while the twins played on the floor nearby where she could keep an eye on them since they had started crawling just recently. Pretty soon Jack comes home from work just as Elizabeth is dishing up diner. As they are eating Jack asks Elizabeth;

"so my love are you ready to go back to teaching all day tomorrow" Jack asks

"I am, I can't wait, working part-time for the past few months was fine, but I am ready to go back full time" Elizabeth replies

After they finish eating Jack and Elizabeth spend some bonding time with their girls who they love more than anything.

The next morning Elizabeth gets everything ready to take the girls to Abigail's as well as her teaching basket before heading to school to prepare for the morning lessons before the students arrive. As soon as Elizabeth arrives at Abigail's with the girls Abigail asks;

"are you excited to be going back to teaching all day today Elizabeth" Abigail asks her best friend.

'yes, I am excited. I can't wait I have been waiting for such a long time to do so since the twins were born" Elizabeth replies

After Elizabeth finishes her short conversation with Abigail and kisses the girls goodbye she heads to school to get started for the day.

Later that morning while later as Jack is at the Mercantile picking up some supplies for Lee Mr. Yost hands Jack a telegram from one of his Mountie friends. Jack opens it and it says that he and a few others will be passing through town in a few days and would love to see how he is doing after all that they had been through up in the northern territories and to catch up. Jack sends a quick response back saying he would love to. Jack feels like he will be able to talk about it now thanks to Elizabeth when he gets together with his friends.

Meanwhile at the school Elizabeth is getting ready to assign the student an essay about what they did over the Christmas holiday for them to share with the class later on. After she assigns the assignment Emily exclaims;

"Mrs. Thornton we are so happy you are back full time we have missed you" Emily says

"Well, thank you Emily. I am glad to be finally back all day as well" Elizabeth replies

As the children work on the writing assignment, she gets starts to get ready for the next topic to teach while they work. Before Elizabeth knows it the whole day has gone by and school is over. After dismissing her students Elizabeth gathers her things and heads to the café to get the girls before going home. She plans to spend the evening with her beloved husband and the best father she could have ever asked for to their girls who they both love so much and hope to continue to add to their little family when they feel like the time is right as they both want to have at least five or six kids.


	22. Ch22 Jacks Mountie Unit Friends

**Chapter 22: Jacks Mountie Unit Friends**

A week had passed since Jack had gotten the letter from his Mountie friends about a group of them coming through town. The day was coming up pretty quickly, and Jack was planning in his head what he wanted to talk about when he had spent time in the northern territories, as it was almost two years ago it had happened. He was now ready to talk freely about it with his mountie friends as he felt it would help him in some way after he had struggled to talk to Elizabeth about his time there when he had gotten back a few weeks before they had gotten married. She had listened since she knew how it had been for him at the start to talk about it when he got home. After talking with Elizabeth, who had helped him through the tough time he knew he could now talk about it with his Mountie friends when they came in a few days.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth was busy planning a surprise late honeymoon trip for her and Jack since they were unable to have a proper one after they had gotten married and because of Elizabeth expecting after he had gotten back from training new mounties. Elizabeth is planning to surprise him with it over spring break from school and Abigail had offered to look after the twins for a while they were gone which Elizabeth appreciated as they were unable to have any romantic moments along since the twins were born. She could not wait to tell him on Valentine's Day in a few weeks about it. She had everything planned out.

 _ **A few days later**_

The day of Jacks mountie friends coming to town was finally here. Jack had the whole morning to himself as his friends would be arriving later in the afternoon. Jack spent his time planning where he would take his friends to go talk about the time they had spent in the Northern Territories. Pretty soon the afternoon was here, so Jack went into town to wait for the arrival of his friends in front of the stage coach platform in order to see his friends ride into town on their horses. Pretty soon some of the mounties from his unit soon approached Jack. He had not seen his mountie friends since they had left the Northern Territories to ride back home and to his dearest Elizabeth to start their life together. As soon as one of the mounties got off his horse Jack welcomed him and the rest to town and said;

"welcome to Hope Valley guys. So glad to see you again" Jack said to his mountie friends.

"Thank you Jack. So glad we can spend some time with you before we move on to where we need to be" one mountie replied.

"No problem, been looking forward to it" Jack responds, 'I have been ready to talk about our time in the Northern Territories for the past year, and now I can" Jack continues on

After Jack finishes welcoming his friends to town he leads them to Abigail's café for a late lunch and to talk about the North. As soon as Jack said to his friends from the mounties he was ready to talk about the north one mountie says;

"what finally convinced you that you were ready to talk about the north, or more precisely who I must say. I notice you seem more happy than usual" the mountie says

"well, yes and it is all thanks to my lovely wife Elizabeth who convinced me to talk about it with her when I got back and she has helped me a lot, so now I am ready to talk about it with you guys" Jack replies

As they continue talking about their time in the North Jack is glad to be able to do so with his friends and it makes him feel so much better so he won't have to think about it anymore and can enjoy his life with Elizabeth and his daughters and more without any problems again.


	23. Ch23 Surprise Second Honeymoon Trip pt 1

**Chapter 23: Surprise Second Honeymoon Trip part 1**

Jack felt so much better after he had talked with his Mountie friends about what had happened in the north and he was not having anymore nightmares and could finally enjoy his life as a husband and father. He loved spending time with his twin girls Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope and his wife his dearest Elizabeth and working at the saw mill with Lee Coulter and doing chores around their new land like caring for the horses and more. Jack could not wait to spend some alone time with Elizabeth over her spring break from teaching just the two of them he hoped, but he did not know it yet that his wish was going to come true soon.

Meanwhile Elizabeth was continuing to finish planning her surprise trip for them as fast as she could and when Jack was not around so it could be a surprise. Pretty soon Valentine's Day approached and Elizabeth's surprise for Jack was finished and arranged, but it would not be for another few weeks until the actual trip. Tonight after they put the twins to bed they would spend a romantic evening at home with just each other to exchange gifts. After Elizabeth got home from school with the twins who spent their days at Abigail while Elizabeth taught, they spent the remaining late afternoon together as a family and they even gave the twins both a new hair bow and a toy each for the holiday. Pretty soon it was time to put the twins to bed so they both carried one of them each into their nursery and placed them in their cribs before going downstairs to exchange gift with each other. As they left the nursery Jack went downstairs while Elizabeth went into their room to retrieve her surprise for Jack from its hiding place before joining him. As soon as Elizabeth enters the living room where Jack is starting a fire in the fireplace so they can cozy up with each other and once Jack sits down next to Elizabeth she says;

"I have a special surprise for you in a few weeks" Elizabeth says as she hands him the box that have the tickets to Chicago for their second honeymoon

"what is the surprise my love" Jack responds

"open the box and you will see" Elizabeth says

So Jack opens the box and once he sees the train tickets to Chicago and a pair of tickets to a baseball game and Jack is speechless for about two minutes before saying;

"thank you, but you did not have to do this" Jack said

"I know, but I wanted to. I arranged for Abigail to watch the twins. This will be our second honeymoon trip as I know how upset you were that we could not go when originally planned after we got married and it will be a romantic getaway for us since it has been a while since we have been alone just us since the twins were born" Elizabeth replies, " it will be two weeks from now which is when spring break from school is" she continues on

"wow, sounds like you have thought of everything my love. I can't wait" Jack replies, "I also have a gift for you as well" he continues on

"really, what is it my beloved" Elizabeth says

"Ok, close your eyes, I will be back" Jack says as he gets up to retrieve his gift for Elizabeth in the barn

As soon as Jack gets back he says

"okay, open your eyes me love" Jack says

As soon as Elizabeth opens her eyes she finds a nice Jewelry box Jack had made for her sitting on the coffee table

"oh, Jack. I love it. It is so lovely" Elizabeth replies

They then spend the evening snuggling up with each other and they talk about the upcoming trip they will take to Chicago in a few weeks.

 _ **Two weeks later**_

For the past few weeks Jack and Elizabeth had been busy planning out the everyday details day by day for their trip to Chicago. They were finally ready and were finishing packing as they would be leaving on the morning train after dropping the twins off with Abigail while they went. The next morning came pretty quickly for the Thornton family. Elizabeth had packed the twins bags the night before so they could be ready for Abigail who was going to be watching them while Jack and Elizabeth went on honeymoon they were finally able to go on for the much needed time alone since becoming parents. After enjoying a quick breakfast and getting the twins ready for staying at Abigail's, Jack and Elizabeth gathered up their luggage, and the twins and set off for town to drop them off for the next week or two before heading to the train station to go on their second honeymoon.


	24. Ch24 Surprise second honeymoon pt 2 of 3

**Chapter 24: Surprise Second Honeymoon part 2 of 3**

After dropping the twins Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope off with Abigail who had offered to take care of them while Jack and Elizabeth were on their trip who was happy to do so, they were relieved as they walked to the train station. Their train to the airport located in Toronto would be leaving at 10 am, Jack and Elizabeth made it to the train station with ten minutes to spare before the train left. Any minute now, the train would be pulling into the station for passengers to get on before making its way to Toronto with a few quick stops on the way. The train was scheduled to arrive in Toronto at 5pm and their flight for Chicago would be leaving at 8:15 pm and arrive in Chicago at 6 am the next morning. They were both so excited. As soon as they got on the train and got settled in for the long ride Jack says to Elizabeth;

"Thank you so much for surprising me with this trip. I am so happy we get to do this finally and to spend some time alone finally just us" Jack says

"I am glad too my beloved, that we finally get to spend some time alone just us, it has been a while since we spent time alone just us at least since the twins were born" Elizabeth replies, "I can't wait to explore Chicago with you" she continues

As the train gets on its way Jack and Elizabeth spend some time talking about what they will do while in Chicago on their second honeymoon from seeing a ballgame to visiting sites and museums and more. Elizabeth also spends some of the time writing in her journal that she carries with her everywhere.

 _ **Toronto 4:50 pm**_

Pretty soon the train arrived at the Toronto station at ten minutes to five o'clock. This would give Jack and Elizabeth a little extra time to get their luggage and to find transportation to the airport to catch their flight to Chicago in just about two hours or so and maybe catch a quick dinner in town beforehand. Jack and Elizabeth both decided they had time to catch a nice dinner before catching their plan to Chicago. They found a place to eat about a five minute drive from the airport that had a romantic feeling to it. Since it was still early for dinner they decided to get an appetizer each to eat as it was all they had time for. Over their appetizers they talked about the possibility of more kids and what they would do while in Chicago for the week. They both were excited to finally have some alone time away from the twins as it was about time. After eating they found a ride to the airport to check in for their flight to Chicago which was due to leave in an hour and ten minutes when they arrived at 7pm to the airport. By the time the plane was ready to load passengers for the flight Jack and Elizabeth were excited to be on their way to Chicago on the overnight flight and to arrive in Chicago early the next morning. Elizabeth had purchased them first class tickets for the flight since it was a special trip for them away from home together since becoming parents.

 _ **Chicago 5:50 am the next morning**_

Jack and Elizabeth were almost in Chicago as their plane was five minutes away from the Chicago airport. As they were waiting to land they could see the city from the plans windows and the dawn as the sun was going to rise soon. After the plane landed Jack and Elizabeth got off and went to gather their luggage and find a ride to the hotel, along with finding a cafe to get some breakfast as well. They found a cafe around the corner from the hotel they were going to stay at. The cafe was nice and serene at this time of the morning according to the owner. This meant Jack and Elizabeth could enjoy themselves peacefully as a happy couple on their second Honeymoon. After the nice breakfast they went to the hotel to check in and rest for the morning. The room Elizabeth had asked for was the honeymoon suite and that is what they got and Elizabeth was happy. This would be the honeymoon they would never forget and one they were glad to finally be able to have. The room was nice and big and had a separate sitting area away from the bed area. After resting awhile Jack and Elizabeth went out to sight see around the city for the afternoon and to enjoy a nice dinner out. Tomorrow they would go see the ballgame Elizabeth had given Jack tickets to and then do some more fun things around the city.

Later that evening when they got back to the hotel Elizabeth said to Jack

"My love, are you glad we finally made it to Chicago as a second honeymoon trip" Elizabeth asked

"I am my dearest, thank you for the wonderful surprise. Now come here in bed with me so I can make love with you to thank you" Jack responds

"Are you sure, it has been awhile since I gave birth to the twins. I am not sure if I am ready again to do so, but I will because I love you so much my love and I would do anything for you" Elizabeth replies

After awhile of making love they end up getting tangled in the bed sheets like a pretzel, but they don't mind as they are so happy to be able to be intimate again with one another since they are alone and on a honeymoon. They have had a great first day in Chicago and pretty soon fall asleep wrapped in each other's arms like spoons and snuggle up next to each other to go to sleep.


	25. ch25 Surprise Second Honeymoon pt 3 of 3

**Ch. 25: Surprise Second Honeymoon part 3 of 3**

The next day after the best night's sleep Jack and Elizabeth have had since the twins Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope were born was the best ever and relaxing one as well. They both missed their twin girls so much, but were enjoying their second honeymoon in Chicago and the much needed alone time. Later in the afternoon they were going to go to the baseball game and after breakfast do some sightseeing or visit a museum and have a nice lunch out before going to see the game.

As the morning went on Jack and Elizabeth went to visit an art museum before going to a nice Italian cafe for lunch before catching a taxi to the stadium for the afternoon baseball game Elizabeth had given Jack tickets to a few months back. They were on their second honeymoon, the one they were supposed to take after they had gotten married, before Jack had to go train new Mounties, and Elizabeth had found out she was going to have the twins, who so far they loved being parents to their two ten month old girls who were getting bigger each day. They both were ahead of babies their age and were attempting to already starting to say mama and dada whenever Jack and Elizabeth played and spent time with them each afternoon and night before putting them down at night.

While enjoying a nice lunch they discussed how when they got back to Hope Valley they would have to start planning the twins 1st Birthday which would be coming up soon. They could not believe that the girls would be a year old this June. After they finished their lunch they grabbed a taxi for a ride to the baseball field to see their first ever baseball game played by a professional team. As soon as they got to the field, Elizabeth said to Jack;

"are you excited for the baseball game Jack" Elizabeth asked

"Yes, thank you for the tickets for Valentine's Day my dearest Elizabeth. I am really looking forward towards the game" Jack responds

"I am glad my love. So am I" Elizabeth replies

As they find their way to their seats they continue talking as they walk through the bleachers until they locate their seat numbers which are behind the home plate. Pretty soon the game starts and both Elizabeth and Jack are enjoying watching their first ever baseball game in Chicago. A few hours later after the game is over Jack and Elizabeth decide to go for a walk in a nearby park before catching a taxi back to their hotel for the rest of the evening.

As soon as they get back to their hotel room after the game, and the walk in the park, Jack and Elizabeth decide to order room service for dinner. They also decide to spend a romantic evening in the hotel room and make love with each other afterwards. As their room service meal they decide to order some champagne and steak with vegetables. After enjoying their nice dinner Jack and Elizabeth decide to take a nice long hot bubble bath with each other in the big tub in the hotels bathroom. After taking a nice long soak they then climb into the big, soft comfy bed, sweet talk with each other, and make love with each other for a long time before wrapping their arms around each other and falling asleep.

 _A few days later_

As the week went on Jack and Elizabeth each day would find something different to do around Chicago from visiting various art museums, to parks, seeing a play or two , taking a carriage ride, walks under the starts, going out to dinner or nice breakfasts, and much more. As much as Elizabeth and Jack were enjoying their second honeymoon in Chicago they knew it would have to come to an end the day after tomorrow to leave to go back home to Hope Valley, their twin girls, their jobs, and their friends.

The next afternoon as they were packing up their bags for the trip home Jack and Elizabeth decided to take one last trip through town to do some shopping to bring home some special gifts for their girls for their upcoming birthday, a gift for Abigail as a thank you for watching the girls for them as well as a few other things before enjoying one last night in Chicago.

The next morning after enjoying one last breakfast in Chicago Jack and Elizabeth catch a taxi to the airport to catch their return flight to Toronto Canada to catch the last train home to Hope Valley in the late afternoon. They did this in order to make it home in the late evening to enjoy a night home alone before picking up the twins the next morning. As they board their flight, they take one last look at Chicago as their flight takes off and they are on their way home.


	26. Chapter 26 Returning Home

**Chapter 26: Returning Home**

Jack and Elizabeth's plane had just left the airport in Chicago on the way to Toronto so they could catch the last afternoon train home to Hope Valley. On the flight they talked about how much they enjoyed their week Chicago. The first thing Elizabeth asked Jack was;

"How did you enjoy our trip in Chicago this past week my love" Elizabeth asks

"I loved it. The best trip I have had in a while. I also loved spending time alone with you my dearest, but I am looking forward to getting home as I missed our girls so much, but the time away has been good for us. It was just what we needed" Jack responds

"I know I can't wait to get home to them either and this trip was just what we needed I agree. We should do it every once in a while or every few years at least" Elizabeth replies

" yes we should, maybe next time we take a trip we should take the girls with us on a family trip, maybe to Hamilton to visit sometime next year" Jack replies

Before they know it their plane lands in Toronto and they catch a taxi to get to their four o'clock train home to Hope Valley which will arrive at 9pm at the station in Hope Valley where they will go home to spend a quiet evening before picking up the twins in the morning from Abigail's.

As soon as they get to train station they find their seats and get comfy for the ride to Hope Valley. During the train ride Jack and Elizabeth start to discuss initial plans and ideas for the twins first birthday which will be in just two months which they both can't believe is coming so soon. Before they know it the train at exactly 9pm arrives at the station in Hope Valley. Jack and Elizabeth get off and gather their bags to make the walk home to their house Jack had built for them. On the walk home Elizabeth says to Jack;

"I am so glad to be back home, aren't you my love" Elizabeth asks

"Of course I am so glad also" Jack responds

Once Jack and Elizabeth arrive home they decide to leave their bags on the side to be unpacked tomorrow and instead they decide to enjoy a nice evening after a long trip home alone by taking a nice bubby bath together in their big tub, and enjoy a nice peaceful night alone and cuddle with each other as they fall asleep in their nice big feather bed.

 _ **Getting Back to Normal**_

The next morning after waking up at home after returning the night before Jack and Elizabeth decide to unpack before going to pick up the twins from Abigail's after breakfast. During the walk to the cafe Jack and Elizabeth talk about how much they can't wait to see their twin girls and Elizabeth says;

"I do hope the girls did not cause Abigail any trouble while we were away" Elizabeth says as she expresses her worry to jack

"I am sure they did not. They are well behaved little ones and easy to love. I am sure Abigail had no trouble at all" Jack responds

As they continue into town they get more excited to finally see their girls again after being away from them for a week by themselves.

Pretty soon Jack and Elizabeth have reached the café and they walk in through the side door that enters into the cafes kitchen and call Abigail's name who just happens to walk into the kitchen from the seating area where she was setting up tables for the day. When Abigail sees Jack and Elizabeth she says;

'Welcome back Jack and Elizabeth, when did you get back to town" Abigail asks

"Late last night, we just dropped by to pick up Charlotte Faith and Gracie Hope. Hope they were not too much trouble for you while we were gone" Elizabeth responds

" no they were no trouble at all, they were perfect little angels, Cody and Clara helped me out, in fact Clara is just getting them dressed right now, I will go and let her know you are here to pick them up" Abigail replies

Abigail leaves the room to go upstairs to let Clara know Jack and Elizabeth are waiting downstairs to pick up the twins. While they wait for Abigail to return Jack and Elizabeth discuss how they will spend the day. Two minutes later Abigail returns and says;

"well how did you enjoy your week away" Abigail asked

"It was great, we enjoyed Chicago a lot" Jack responds

"In fact we brought you back a gift and one for Cody and Clara as well for thanking you for taking care of the twins while we were gone" Elizabeth responds

"That is so sweet of you Elizabeth" Abigail replies

Elizabeth then hands over the gifts they had brought for Abigail, Cody, and Clara in Chicago, which were an apron for Abigail with her name embroidered, a baseball cap for Cody, and a compact sewing kit for Clara. A few minutes later Clara enters the room with twins with Cody who is carrying the bags. As soon as Clara is within arms distance Charlotte Faith begs to be handed over to her mother when she spots them and Jack takes Gracie Hope and they each take a bag from Cody. Elizabeth then says to Clara;

"Thank you so much for helping Abigail take care of the twins Clara, we appreciate it so much. Thank you' Elizabeth says

"It was no problem honestly Elizabeth. I enjoyed spending time with them. They are the sweetest little girls ever" Clara responds

After Jack and Elizabeth talk with Clara and Abigail for another five minutes they then leave.

Jack and Elizabeth take the twins for a picnic by the lake to spend some quality time with them as a family before going home to put them down for their afternoon nap. While the twins nap Jack and Elizabeth continue planning for the twins first Birthday some more. After a while Elizabeth switches over to preparing lessons for the upcoming week at school for her students and through the end of the school year which ends in just one month from now. After the twins wake up they spend some more family time together for a nice quiet evening and playing with the girls after the time away they spent from them before calling it a day and all going to bed early.


End file.
